For over 40 years, Lenos Custom Farming has been providing custom services, including tillage, planting, spraying, harvesting, and trucking to the farmers of Haldimand and Norfolk.
The company, located in Waterford, is owned by John Lenos and his sons, Nick and Shawn. There are six other full-time employees as well, and six part-time individuals who are called upon during the peak seasons.
Nick Lenos said growing up with his dad farming, he would ride along on the farm equipment or join him in the shop as he made repairs.
“Farming has always been an interest to me. I enjoy it because not one year is the same and there is always new challenges – whether it be every year, day, or sometimes by the hour,” Lenos said. “I am blessed to be able to have a lot of variation in my daily tasks from being able to run equipment, deal with many different customers, paperwork, and attending meetings and events. Farming has progressed a lot since I was a kid, and it continues to evolve rapidly and it’s exciting to be able to be a part of it.”
One of the changes that Lenos has seen in recent years has been how corn is grown.
“Corn is a crop that requires a lot of attention (and) timing is crucial for top end yield,” Lenos said. “Things such as planting date, fertility, timeliness of spraying, temperature, and rainfall amounts are crucial at times of the growing season, and all play a big part.”
While Mother Nature can sometimes be fickle, farmers do what they can do help their crops through it all.
“One thing that is becoming a common practice is spraying a fungicide on the corn at pollination,” Lenos noted.
He explained, “Pollination occurs when the corn crop is tasseling and shedding its pollen, which fertilizes the silks on the cob.”
There are different ways to apply a fungicide to a corn crop.
Aerial spraying involves helicopters, airplanes, and in some cases, drones. However, “the most common way locally is applying with a sprayer, with a lift kit, or one designed from factory to spray tall crops,” Lenos said.
“We use ground application, as it’s something we can use (with) everyday spraying. Manufacturers are all trying to have a machine that can be utilized in tall crop spraying. Currently, we operate two Fendt sprayers that come from factory with lift kits on them, so they have the clearance to get through the corn.”
The specifics of how the fungicide gets on the corn is less important than that it gets applied.
Two of the big things farmers are trying to prevent through the spraying are leaf diseases, such as tar spot, and vomitoxins.
“Tar spot is a leaf disease that can reduce the plant’s ability to produce to its full potential due to the tar spot lesions on the leaves affecting the plant’s ability to take in sunlight,” which substantially affects the yield, Lenos said, adding that the disease “seems to be moving further east earlier every year.”
Vomitoxins, meanwhile, is a disease that “occurs in the cob of the plant and can occur initially from an entry point from insects or bird damage. Some corn varieties may be more susceptible as well.”
Lenos said this disease is a large concern when there’s a lot of rain, humidity, and fog – like we’ve been having this year.
“The weather this year has been very unpredictable. When it calls for 3 mm (of rain) and you receive 30 mm, or your neighbour one concession over doesn’t get any,” he said. “This year more specifically, the rainfall amounts have created challenges for timeliness of spraying and harvesting, which then reduces the quality of the crops and can make it a challenge marketing them.”
Through it all, though, “We deal with it for what it is and ensure you take advantage of nice weather when the opportunity presents itself.”
While there are challenges, Lenos said agriculture “is a great industry to be a part of” because of the relationships one forms.
“Relationships with customers, local agronomists, chemical companies, ag retail partners, equipment suppliers, seed companies, and many more. These relationships are key to our business’ success and every farmer, as we all have a common goal – working together so that all the customers we deal with are successful and continue to grow the best crop they can.”
