0306-2494

Crop Inputs. Agronomic advice. Winter, spring, summer, fall.

Planning, preparation, production, pride:

Our year is built around the same four seasons.

When you’re in the business of growing crops, you need year round

support. And the UFA Crop Production Solutions Representatives can

help your opportunities grow – each and every season. Seed selection.

Post-emergent options. Seed treatments. Grain marketing advice. Our

experts can help you find the tools you need, when you need it.

Along with some expertise for success all season long.

2 F A R M I N G S M A R T E R 2 0 0 6

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4 F A R M I N G S M A R T E R 2 0 0 6

Welcome to anotherissue of FARMINGSMARTER. We hope that inthis issue you will find theuseful and practicalinformation that you havecome to expect from theSouthern Applied ResearchAssociation (SARA).

In agriculture, we facechallenges from all areas;weather challenges, foreignmarket issues, low commodityprices and many things that

could make this a long list if we cared to focus on negativeissues. Southern Alberta farmers have an amazing capacity tobe optimistic and forge ahead in the face of challenging times.Realistically, we have faced the challenge of change for manyyears in agriculture and, still, many find ways to thrive.

Over the past year, SARA also dealt with change.Besides the regular turnover of board members, Pat Pavan leftus to pursue an opportunity in the agribusiness sector. Sincethen, we survived with some great interim help and recentlyhired a new staff member. Paul Jungnitsch joins us in thecentral and critical position as our agronomist. Paul hasextensive experience in the area of applied research and welook forward to a bright future together.

FARMING SMARTER is one of the ways we spread

the message of lessons learned from the research anddemonstrations accomplished over the last year. The aim ofthe SARA is to provide you with ideas that can help yourfarming operation in these changing times. Farmer directedresearch into practical issues for farming is the primary focusof SARA. Our hope is that these activities result in sound andunbiased ideas that you can apply on your farm.

I urge you to attend any of the events SARA offersfor the next year and see the value that you can gain fromattending. In the past, we have always had great farmersupport and involvement on our board. I urge you to getinvolved as farmer involvement ensures that the programsSARA pursues focus on practical farm issues. There is animmense amount of knowledge on Southern Alberta farms,and our members reap many advantages through interactingwith each other.

Best wishes for a safe and prosperous growing seasonand we hope that we will see many of you at SARA events overthe year.

Sincerely,

Corny VanDasselaarCorny VanDasselaarPresident

Corny VanDasselaar

F R O M T H E

P R E S I D E N T

5F A R M I N G S M A R T E R 2 0 0 6

FARMING SMARTERC O N T E N T S

Farming SmarterFarming Smarter is an annual publication by the Southern Applied Research Association, RR8-36-11, Lethbridge,

T1J 4P4 with the assistance of the Southern Alberta Conservation Association and support form the Agriculture

Opportunities Fund and Alberta Environmentally Sustainable Agriculture program.Editorial Board: Ron Lamb, Alex Russell, Richard Fritzler

Editor: Claudette LacombePhotography: Rob Dunn, Iain Shute, Sandra Taillieu, SARA, Henri Goulet

Winter wheat A good option to control erosion in irrigated crops

7

Greenseeker to test its effectiveness in Canadian conditions.

10

Irrigated crop production update conference

11

Managing water laden soils this spring

12

S.A.R.A welcomes new agronomist

13

How that reclaimed site doing?

14

Managing crop rotation on a dryland farm in Alberta

15

Managing the risks and reward of pulse crops

17

Where lies the path to sustainabilty

21

There’s no place like home

22

For 2006 and beyond: fertilizer’s “triple e”

future effective, efficient and economical

23

Study shows warm season grasses can work in rotation

24

Farming Smarter Newsbites

25

Bugs without passports

27

Engage in a self-assessment for your farm

29

C.S.I. in lethbridge

29

Published By:

6 F A R M I N G S M A R T E R 2 0 0 6

Field peas may prove a wise alternative to fallow forsouthern Alberta producers. In southern Alberta according toAlberta Agriculture (AAFRD) figures, there is an average of 1.3million acres in fallow each year.

A long-term rotation trial at Bow Island on-going for thepast 12 years on small plots, tried different rotations such ascontinuous wheat, wheat-fallow, wheat-wheat-fallow, flax-wheat-fallow, pea-wheat and grass. Ross McKenzie, AgronomyResearch Scientist with the Crop Diversification Centre ofAlberta Agriculture, Food and Rural Development (AAFRD)in Lethbridge led this study.

His study prompted SARA to try a larger trial to take pea-wheat rotation to a field scale study. They setout four sites in southern Alberta: Lethbridge,Lomond, Etzikom and Schuler. On each site,they planted two 80-acre fields alternatingbetween field peas and wheat. The long-termstudy is entering its third year and SARAplans to continue it for five years.

"The best return was from a wheat-fieldpea rotation," says Paul Jungnitsch SouthernApplied Research Association (SARA)agronomist.

The study tracks costs and income;monitors possible weed and disease build upand nutrient make up from marked-point soilsamples. There was a $67.50 net return on thepea-wheat rotation compared to an estimated$30.50 on a wheat-fallow rotation when theincome from both fields entered the equation."There are good reasons why people keep

summer or chem-fallow in rotation insouthern Alberta. In the low moisture areas, itconserves moisture, helps control weeds andreduces risk," Jungnitsch says.

He adds that one big advantage of peas isthat they have shallow roots and tend to leavesome moisture in the ground. Traditionalfallow methods can increase moisture lossthrough evaporation. Jungnitsch explains thatSARA wanted to answer questions aboutwhether or not field pea crops have a realadvantage over fallow.

"We wanted to find out if peas take toomuch moisture. We know peas make theirown nitrogen, so there's advantage becausethe price of nitrogen increases all the time,"Jungnitsch explains. Peas are also very strongon mycorrhizae; which are a type of soil

fungus with the unique ability symbioticallybind with plant roots and act as an extension of the rootsystem. This helps plants capture nutrients such as phosphorusand micronutrients from the soil.

"When wheat follows peas, the wheat can use this systemtoo," he says. "This greatly enhances the wheat's ability to pullnutrients as well," Jungnitsch explains. He adds that this is notthe case with other crops like canola. He says this is whatmakes field peas provide the best yield increase to wheat. Jungnitsch says that during the next three years of the study, hewill continue monitoring the sites for moisture retention as animportant factor for dryland farming. �

PEA-WHEAT ROTATIONP R O V I N G P R O F I T A B L E

Rob W pea-wheat trial

Faba bean leaf damaged by the pea leaf weevil; note characteristic notching on leaf edge (photo by H. Goulet of AAFC)

By Claudette Lacombe

7F A R M I N G S M A R T E R 2 0 0 6

In the irrigated areas of southern Alberta, high-valuecrops such as potatoes and beans are important. However,these crops leave little to no residue behind after harvest,increasing the risk of soil erosion and the loss of topsoil,nutrients and productivity. The critical window for cover isthrough the fall, winter and spring period.

"Irrigation growers in southern Alberta know that soilconservation measures are critical after potato and bean crops,and cover crops have a definite fit in many situations," saysRob Dunn, Conservation Cropping Specialist with AlbertaAgriculture Food and Rural Development (AAFRD). "A fewfarmers have decided that if they are going to establish a covercrop, then winter wheat might be a good option because onceit's established, you don't have to touch the field in thespring." Seeding winter wheat in the fall not only reduces thespring workload; it also provides a grain crop option thefollowing year.

Winter cereals provide better soil protection than springcereals when seeded later in the fall because they continue togrow after a few frosts and resume growth in early spring."However, even winter cereals on their own will not produceenough growth to protect the soil if planted after mid-September for many situations in southern Alberta," explainsDunn. "Winter chinooks and successive freeze-thaw cycles canlevel the soil surface and blast out seedling plants beforegrowth can resume the following spring."

In 2004, a demonstration project was initiated in theLethbridge and Rolling Hills areas to look at including winterwheat in rotation for both grain production and erosioncontrol. The demonstrations included mid to late Septemberplanted winter wheat after both beans and potatoes, which ispast the traditional planting window for most cover cropscenarios. The project also compared the conservation andproduction benefits of winter wheat to spring wheat fordiversified irrigated crop rotations in southern Alberta. Thedemonstration sites included the Irrigation Demo Farm atLethbridge, the AAFC Research Farm at Vauxhall and twocooperator sites near Rolling Hills.

"The optimal seeding date for winter wheat is in the firsttwo weeks of September," says Dunn. "However, seedingwinter wheat in mid to late September can be successful forgrain production, but there may not be enough crop growthto hold the soil through the critical mid to late winter period."Therefore, surface roughness or anchored residue is needed tofurther protect the soil with these later plantings. "We decidedto use a wider row spacing hoe drill, such as ConservaPak(tm), which leaves a deep soil furrow and a fairly roughsurface after seeding," explains Dunn. Irrigating beforeplanting is preferred to minimize the leveling action from

A GOOD OPTION TO CONTROL EROSION IN IRRIGATED CROPS

W I N T E R W H E A TBy Donna Fleury

Harme Stikker checking for winter wheatemergence in his bean field, fall 2004. Credit:

Rob Dunn, AAFRD

Winter wheat plot after beans at Harme Stikker's,on April 10, 2005. Note the uneven emergencefrom poor seed placement. Credit: Rob Dunn,

AAFRD.

Winter wheat plot after potatoes at Stuart Kanegawa's, November 16,2005. Note soil ridges to help reduce soil erosion potential. Credit: Rob

Dunn, AAFRD.

8 F A R M I N G S M A R T E R 2 0 0 6

water application after planting. "Winter wheat makes good use of early seeded moisture,

so it will start growing quickly and is a good competitoragainst weeds," explains Melissa Schurmann, Winter CerealsSpecialist with Ducks Unlimited Canada in southern Alberta.This also translates into higher yield potential. "If your winterwheat crop gets off to a good start, there is a chance it won'tbe necessary to use a wild oat herbicide, which represents areduced input cost for the grower."

"Although fall rye may be superior as a cover crop, winterwheat is superior in terms of economics and marketability,"explains Dunn. Winter wheat yields are typically 15 to 20percent higher than spring hard red wheat. Winter wheattends to require lower inputs in terms of equipment, fertilizer,herbicide and water for irrigation, as compared to springwheat production. Two varieties recommended for irrigationwith good standability, winter hardiness and high yields wereused for the demonstration project, including Radiant amilling variety developed at AAFC Lethbridge, and CDCFalcon, a feed variety.

Winter Wheat and Beans in Rotation Harme Stikker farms seven quarters of irrigated land nearRolling Hills. He usually rents out one or two quarters forpotatoes, and grows two circles of beans, with the rest in wheatand canola. "My annual crop rotation is usually about 50percent row crops of either beans or potatoes, followed bygrain crops," explains Stikker. "I am interested in winter wheatboth as a cover crop and a grain crop, but find that the beancrops are usually harvested too late to seed before September20 as a target date. However, he has had success with laterseeding dates.

For the project in 2004, they tried to direct seed into the

bean stubble without any pre-seeding work. "It didn't workthat well, because the bean stubble has areas of very loose soilwhere it had been tilled during the crop year for weed control,and very hard soil areas where the crop was actually growing,"explains Stikker. "Trying to maintain an even seeding depthwith the shank-type planter was very difficult." In 2005,Stikker worked and leveled the bean stubble once, then directseeded the winter wheat using a Bourgault drill with mid-rowbanders.

"I seeded quite late this year, about October 14," saysStikker. "However it was a late fall and it did emerge to thethree-leaf stage. It's not really enough for a secure stand for thespring, which is why I used the Bourgault drill because itcreates quite a lot of ridges that I hope will help stop the fieldfrom blowing as well." Stikker sees late seeding as a continualchallenge, because most years the bean crops are harvestedquite late. He also recommends if seeding is quite late, thenbumping up the seeding rate from the normal rate of twobushels per acre to three is a good idea.

Stikker plans to continue including winter wheat inrotation for both erosion cover and a grain crop. For beanstubble, he recommends trying to level the land out someprior to seeding, but also create some lumps in the field duringseeding. "Even seeding late, winter wheat usually germinatesenough to get established for a crop the next year," saysStikker. "The growing crop and leaving ridges or lumps in thefield will hopefully stop any soil erosion over the winter andinto early spring." Winter Wheat and Potatoes in Rotation

Stuart Kanegawa farms with his brother Stan in theScandia/Rolling Hills area, and they farm a total of 26quarters of owned and rented land. They usually grow about

Winter wheat plot at Stuart Kanegawa's, April 10, 2005. Credit: Rob Dunn, AAFRD.

9F A R M I N G S M A R T E R 2 0 0 6

1500 acres of potatoes each year. "For the past three years wehave been trying to see if winter wheat can follow potatoes,and then follow with two years of spring cereals," explainsKanegawa. "Besides the cover crop benefits of winter wheat, Ithink it will have disease related benefits as well."

Kanegawa grows winter wheat or fall rye primarily forerosion cover. "Whether it's our land or rented land, we arecommitted to planting cover crops after potatoes," saysKanegawa. Renting land for potato crops can be difficult if theissues of fall cover aren't addressed. "Over the last 7 to 10 yearswe've moved away from heavy tillage in potato fieldpreparation and throughout the year from seeding to harvest."Kanegawa sometimes has to seed a portion of his winterwheat/fall rye later than recommended, and this year seededsome in mid-October with some success. "We try to get therented land harvested by mid-September, and then get covercrops established."

Depending on the rental agreements, the timing andother factors, Kanegawa will either do one pre-seed operation,often to apply fertilizer, then direct seed winter wheat, orbroadcast the seed over the potato stubble and lightly disc itin. "If we are planning to harvest the crop, then we usuallylevel the field prior to seeding, otherwise the roughness makesharvest difficult. It's really a certain amount of calculatedgambling and looking ahead to the weather to determinewhether you have time to get a crop established. Once you geta substantial catch, we're pretty confident adequate cover willbe there over the winter."

For the project in 2004, Kanegawa did grow the crop outfor harvest. "The yield was moderate, and I was happy withthe other benefits such as harvesting the crop early, whichallowed us to prepare the land in the fall for the followingspring." Kanegawa expects they will have to look at seeding aportion of winter wheat/fall rye later than optimal in mostyears. "You really have to watch the seeding depth the laterinto the season, and should seed shallower than therecommended one inch. Every 5 to 7 days after September 15,you're also looking at increasing the seeding rate by one-halfbushel per acre, up to a certain point."

Kanegawa plans to continue including winter wheat or

fall rye in rotation for cover crops, and grain crops whenwarranted. "We're fairly new to winter wheat, but it'ssomething we plan to keep pursuing where possible."However, this year proved Mother Nature doesn't alwayscooperate, and wet conditions meant Kanegawa didn't geteverything harvested in 2005, so next spring will haveadditional challenges.

Lessons LearnedOverall, the demonstrations were a success, showing that

winter wheat can be planted later in the fall and still providebenefits as a cover and a grain crop after special crops such aspotatoes and beans. Although there are some challenges, withtiming being one of the biggest ones, planning ahead canmake winter wheat a successful crop option for preventingwind erosion, reducing spring workload and realizingeconomic returns.

DUC and their partners continue to support programsfor growers around winter wheat. They see the environmentalvalue of reducing soil erosion and loss of nutrients andproductivity as very important. "We also see winter seededcrops as very important for providing nesting ground for thenorthern pintail duck in particular," says Schurmann."Northern pintails have a low propensity to re-nest if theirnest is disturbed, as can happen with spring seeded crops."

DUC and their partners can help answer questions andprovide information to growers interested in growing winterwheat. Watch for field days and demonstration site tours invarious areas in 2006. Partners in the demonstration projectincluded AAFRD, DUC, Southern Applied ResearchAssociation, Alberta Reduced Tillage LINKAGES, the PotatoGrowers Association of Alberta and the County of Newell. Formore information, go to: www.wintercereals.ca �

*Donna Fleury prepared this article in co-operation with DucksUnlimited Canada.

Winter wheat plots at Stuart Kanegawa's, on July 22,2005, comparing the variety CDC Falcon on the left

and Radiant on the right. Credit: DUC.

To assist farmers in the constant quest to use optimumamounts nitrogen, Southern Applied Research Association(SARA) bought a GreenSeeker to test its effectiveness inCanadian conditions.Ntech Industries(http://www.ntechindustries.com) makes the model SARA istesting in the field. Their web site says the“GreenSeeker collects NDVI (NormalizedDifference Vegetative Index commonly used tomeasure plant health and vigor.) data duringexisting farming operations such as spraying,cultivation, mowing, etc.

GreenSeeker calculates NDVI using red andnear infra-red (NIR) light. Plant chlorophyllabsorbs red light as an energy source duringphotosynthesis. Therefore, healthy plants absorbmore red light and reflect larger amounts of NIRthan those that are unhealthy. NDVI is an excellentindicator of biomass (amount of living planttissue), and can accurately project yield potential inconjunction with growing degree days greater thanzero (GDD>0) or days from planting.”

“These images can create management zones,identify pest and disease problems, evaluatedrainage systems efficacy, modify soil samplingstrategies, monitor and modify irrigationschedules, determine optimum harvesting dates and makevariable rate prescription maps.

GreenSeeker sensors have about a 24-inch field of view.Optimal sensing height is 32-48 inches above the plant. Thepercent of area coverage you get from each mapping systemdepends upon the spacing and number of sensors used.” “The GreenSeeker allows for logging of individual sensor data.The system can have 2-50 sensors. The system is CANnetwork based and includes desktop software to post collecteddata. The software processes collected data files into shape fileformat.”

SARA agronomist Paul Jungnitsch says, “These areexpensive units at $4,700 for the hand held unit SARAbought.” He adds that there are other manufacturers of thistype of technology and it is in greater use in the U.S. andEurope than here. He quoted a report that says there are about300 units in use worldwide.

SARA’s early experiments with the device highlightedsome challenge with calibrating the device. The manufacturersrecommend putting a nitrogen strip in each field where youput on as much nitrogen as you think the crop can use. Youthen use that strip to calibrate the device.

“That takes some of the environmental factors into

consideration such as moisture and other growingconditions,” he says. “It looks as though the actual calibrationcan be a bit difficult. It looks like it’s fairly easy for the sensorto tell you how well the crop is growing, but how you relatethat into actual fertilizer recommendations is quite a bit morecomplicated.”

He adds that it seems to be leading edge technology thatisn’t in wide-spread use. He comments that this may be why agood body of information about the device isn’t available rightnow.

“There’s not a lot of practical experience with it yet. Ithink it’s kind of like GPS mapping when it first came out.People knew the technology could work, but weren’t surehow.”He sees possibilities in the crop growth mapping function ofthe device and thinks that as the technology advances, comesdown in price and becomes more foolproof, it could becomea standard piece of equipment for nutrient management.

“Certainly with the price of fertilizer going up, itbecomes even more important to apply just what the cropneeds,” says Jungnitsch. “The few actual trials I’ve seen havecut down the nitrogen applications by a reasonable amount. Itwill probably be quite useful.”Jungnitsch plans to continue experimenting with the unit tosee what applications he can find for it and best ways to workwith the technology.

“We’ll see how these trials go and keep our membersinformed.” �

10 F A R M I N G S M A R T E R 2 0 0 6

NEW TECHNOLOGY UNDER SARA MICROSCOPE

G R E E N S E E K E RBy C. Lacombe

Dwayne Rogness tests the GreenSeeker in a field of winter wheat.

11F A R M I N G S M A R T E R 2 0 0 6

Over 250 people came to the inaugural Irrigated CropProduction Update 2006 conference January 17 at theLethbridge Lodge Hotel making it a resounding success.Organized by Alberta Agriculture, Food and RuralDevelopment (AAFRD) and the Southern Applied ResearchAssociation (SARA) the busy, but well-rounded agendaconsisted of four primary sessions featuring a variety ofinformative presentations under each relevant session topic.

Following opening comments by Brent Paterson, Headof Irrigation Branch AAFRD, George Lubberts of CompleteAgronomic Services chaired the first session focused onIrrigation Cropping Practices. Speakers and topics includedJack Payne from Olds Collegediscussing understandingcrop growth dynamics; Dr.Frank Larney of Agricultureand Agri-Food Canada,AAFC sharing lessons fromlong-term irrigated croprotation research and RobDunn of AAFRD reporting best seeding practices forirrigated cereals and canola.

Leigh Morrison of AAFRD chaired the second session,Irrigated Crop Nutrient Management, that featuredpresentations by Dr. Ross McKenzie of AAFRD whose topicwas soil fertility and crop nutrition- a balanced approach; Dr.Tom Jensen from Agricore United talking about nitrogenfertilizer, forms and methods of application; Dr. RigasKaramanos of Westco presenting information aboutmicronutrients for irrigated production; Dr. Barry Olson ofAAFRD spoke about understanding how to use manure orcompost to optimize irrigated crop production and TrevorWallace of AAFRD explained logistics for manure handling.

Keith Mills from Agricore United chaired PestManagement Under Irrigation to open the afternoonprogram. Presentations by Scott Meers of AAFRD aboutinsect thresholds for irrigated crops; Dr. Jim Moyer of AAFCtackled re-cropping practices after residual herbicide use; Dr.Ron Howard of AAFRD presented a field crop disease reviewand forecast and Dr. Kelly Turkington of AAFC speakingabout irrigation and plant disease management completed thethird session.

Gregg Dill chaired the final session Irrigation Crop Water

Management. Presentations featured Ted Harms of AAFRDwho explained the R.A.T. of irrigation management: thefuture for improving irrigation deficiencies; Dr. ShelleyWoods of AAFRD gave tips for irrigating to enhance qualityand yield; Dr. Allan Walburger from the University ofLethbridge tackled irrigation economics - what is an inch ofwater worth and Roger Holm, Head of Farm IrrigationManagement Section with AAFRD introduced new irrigatedcrops of the future. Dr. Ross McKenzie and Roger Holmprovided conference wrap-up comments.

Roger also remarked that, "As conference organizers, wewere thrilled with the content of the information presented

and the response fromproducers at the conference.The irrigation industry inAlberta has been waiting fora conference designed toprovide information directlyrelated to their productionneeds and from all reports

the Irrigation Update conference met or exceeded the needs ofthe producers. The conference did not just provide facts andfigures on crops, pests and diseases but reached to the futureand had producers thinking of new ways to make theirindividual operation sustainable and increase the productivityof the industry. Will we do it again - absolutely - the responseto the first Irrigation Update identified a need for the industrythat we cannot miss filling."Elizabeth Tokariuk, Manager of SARA added, " SARA is verypleased to be involved in the first Irrigated Crop ProductionUpdate. This is a chance to bring the latest and best of researchand new developments to the irrigation farmers of Alberta andput them in touch with the people working on their behalf.We had an excellent organizing committee that kept the needsof these producers in mind when planning the agenda andbrought a high quality information package to them."

Contributors to the conference included AgPro, AgricoreUnited, Bayer Crop Science, Ducks Unlimited Canada,Milliken Farm Supplies, Monsanto Canada, Oliver Irrigation,Parrish & Heimbecker Limited, Prairie Ag Photo, ReducedTillage Linkages and United Farmers of Alberta. Additional information on the conference proceedings is onAAFRD's Ropin the Web site at http://www.agric.gov.ab.ca. �

IRRIGATED CROP PRODUCTIONU P D A T E C O N F E R E N C E

By Ron Montgomery

The conference did not just provide facts and figureson crops, pests and diseases but reached to the future

and had producers thinking of new ways to maketheir individual operation sustainable and increase

the productivity of the industry.

12 F A R M I N G S M A R T E R 2 0 0 6

Near record levels of rain last year resulted in saturatedland throughout large sections of southern Alberta. Root zones are full and the water table rose in the areasextending south of Lethbridge to the western corner of theprovince and north throughout the municipal districts ofRockyview and Foothills to Vulcan. Conditions become driertoward Medicine Hat, said Joe Michelson of AlbertaAgriculture’s drought branch.Fortunately, soil is resilient with good stability thanks to yearsof minimum tillage.

“That temporary flooding we have wouldn’t necessarilybe bad for the system,” said Rob Dunn, conservation croppingspecialist with Alberta Agriculture.

Ironically the root zones may be saturated but because adry winter with almost no snow cover created a dry seedbed,a good spring snowfall before planting would help.

W i t h t h e s econsiderations in mind, soilmanagement options for thiscrop year have farmersthinking about a return tosummerfallow or findingsuitable crops to draw upexcess moisture. Summerfallow may be thecheapest approach in a yearof poor commodity pricesand high input costs, but it may not be the best option for soilhealth, said Dunn.

“If you are going to put it back to summerfallow, becautious. It may be a good economic decision, but from a soilquality point of view you need to consider the implicationsgiven that there is excess moisture this year,” he said.

Summer fallow can result in long term organic matterdecline and increased salinity problems. The extent dependson soil type, tillage frequency and precipitation patterns. Ashort-term effect could be a decline in the “light fraction”organic matter responsible for good soil tilth.

Decomposing roots, plant exudates and soil biota declinequickly without crop growth. This further accelerates withtillage based fallow. There is an immediate burst in availablesoil nitrate nitrogen that reduces following crop fertilizerneeds, but nitrogen stores are also susceptible to leaching ordenitrification losses in waterlogged soils. Denitrification iscostly both in terms of productive soil nitrogen loss andgreenhouse gas emissions of nitrous oxide (N2O). N2Oemissions have a greenhouse gas equivalency of 320 times thatof CO2 and are a serious concern for agricultural systems.

Land is also at risk from increasing salinity levels as thewater table rises. When saline groundwater rises to within twoto three metres of the surface, salts readily move into thetopsoil in susceptible soil types, especially in fallow fieldsunder tillage.

“Farmers may see a major jump in the levels of salinity insome of these areas in their fields if they are not careful overthe next year or 18 months,” Dunn said.

He recommends contacting local agriculture serviceboards for analysis of salinity levels of specific fields.

A better approach to dealing with this year’s moisturechallenge maybe cropping options like planting perennialforages, alfalfa for instance, in the rotation because theyimprove soil quality.

Forages can remove heavier saturation in the deeperprofiles because the plant roots seek water 10 feet down.

While expensive to establish,forages in rotation are bestleft for three to four years andmanaged for grazing or hay.Equipment and marketingare challenges, but customhaying is a growing businessin southern Alberta and baledforage or grazing is usually indemand.

For those who cannotafford to put in a crop, the practice of cover cropping with binrun seed followed by a shortened fallow period may be a betteroption, especially if the soil profile is saturated. Bin run seedis cheap, but may need some cleaning and pre-seed glyphosate,fuel for planting or field preparation may be an issue.

Cover crop terminated with herbicide or cut for green-feed has less sunk costs than a grain crop, although annualforage will need some fertilizer to be productive. Rotationalissues related to pests should also be considered whenchoosing a cover crop.

It may pay in the long run to spend the extra inputs andplan for a grain crop rather than a cover crop. The key is touse the stored soil water rather than risk swamping the field oraccelerating the development of soil salinity in susceptiblefields. If the choice is either summerfallow or a cover crop, afall seeded winter cereal is always a good idea to use some ofthe accumulated soil nitrogen and moisture rather thanrisking losses during the winter to spring period. Fieldsshould also be managed to prevent the risk of wind erosion.�

MANAGING WATER LADEN SOILS

T H I S S P R I N GBy Barbara Duckworth

Summer fallow can result in long term organicmatter decline and increased salinity problems. The

extent depends on soil type, tillage frequency andprecipitation patterns. A short-term effect could be a

decline in the “light fraction” organic matterresponsible for good soil tilth.

13F A R M I N G S M A R T E R 2 0 0 6

Paul Jungnitsch grew up on a mixed farm inthe Peace River area of Alberta. He achievedhis crop science diploma at Fairview Collegein 1985. Paul spent some time traveling theworld after graduating, working on farms inEngland, Australia, and Israel. He returnedhome and managed the Fairview AppliedResearch Association in Fairview, Alberta fornine years. He continued his education andgraduated with an undergrad degree inAgronomy from the University of

Saskatchewan in 2003. Currently, Paul workstoward finishing a Master's degree in SoilScience from the U of S comparing the effecton nutrients, pasture growth, cattle conditionand economics of wintering cattle directly onpasture versus wintering them in the yard andmechanically spreading the manure. Hejoined Southern Applied Research Associationas agronomist in October. �

SARA WELCOMES NEW AGRONOMIST

Paul Jungnitsch

Additional cash costs for cover crop during summer fallow *

Cash costs/acre Barley cover

crop

Pea cover

crop

Bin-run seed cost (2 bu barley, 3bu peas)

$4.00 $12.00

Planting $8.00 $8.00

Termination with glyphosate+ Spraying

$7.00 $7.00

Total $19/acre $27/acre

Other potential costs

Seed cleaning $2.00 $3.00

Inoculant $5.00

Adjusted Total $21/acre $35/acre

Cost of lost soil moisture for nextcrop

? ?

Value for fixed nitrogen60 – 80 lbs actual N/acre @$.45/lb

$27 - 36/acre

Value for soil quality ? ?

* Does not include fixed machinery costs or cash costs for pre-seedglyphosate or land preparation since these would also be incurredwith a chemical fallow operation.

Source: Rob Dunn, Alberta Agriculture

The accompanying table shows costs of cover crop for summerfallow and above that for a normal chemical fallow approach. The exampleis for barley or peas planted without fertilizer or in-crop herbicide and then terminated with glyphosate in early summer – before weedsmake seed. Peas fix high amounts of nitrogen by the early bloom stage if grown on low nitrogen fields with proper rhizobia inoculationto ensure good nodulation. Mixtures of barley and peas also provide a useful cover crop alternative. Remember most of the nitrogenbenefit from peas is removed when the biomass is harvested as forage.

14 F A R M I N G S M A R T E R 2 0 0 6

Grow Your FutureTrain to be part of Alberta’s number one renewable resource industry and meet the needs of a growing service and value-added processing sector.

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The program includes certifi cation in areas such as Safety Oriented First Aid/CPR and Pesticide Applications, making you employment-ready upon graduation.

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AGRICULTURAL TECHNOLOGYLethbridge Community College

320.3407 • 1.800.572.0103 • www.lethbridgecollege.ab.ca

Would you like to help determine if current landreclamation practices do their job?A study coordinated through Alberta Environmentand the Agricultural Research and ExtensionCouncil of Alberta (ARECA) will collect data fromreclaimed land sites to determine the effectivenessof current reclamation practices.The study is province-wide with local researchassociations working with landowners to gatherdata. The Southern Applied Research Association(SARA) invites landowners with reclaimed sites to

provide data.Cooperating producers need a yield monitor ontheir combine and GPS capabilities to provideSARA with yield data from the site and thesurrounding land.The sites must have a signed reclamation certificate.These certificates include a report about thereclaimed landscape, soil and vegetation conditionsover the site and access roads. Vegetation conditionsin the report include crop height, head length,general vigor and health compared to thesurrounding land.It can be land reclaimed from any activity thatcaused considerable disturbance of the land, such asoil sites, old roadbeds or filled in dugouts. The datawill go to a central coordinating body that willcompile the yield data from sites to provideinformation about the effectiveness of reclamation."We want to get a sense of whether or not theindustry practices are acceptable in terms ofbringing the land back to pre-disturbanceproductivity," says Elizabeth Tokariuk of SARA. SARA would like participants from all oversouthern Alberta. If you want to take part in thisstudy, please contact SARA, 403-328-0059, formore information.�

RECLAIMED SITE DOING?

% < ^ ø L � P % � Pby C. Lacombe

We want to get a sense of whether or notthe industry practices are acceptable interms of bringing the land back to pre-

disturbance productivity

15F A R M I N G S M A R T E R 2 0 0 6

On a dryland grain farm East of Warner, Alberta, Brian Ottobegins planning for next year's crop. Twelve years of direct seedinghave taken Brian from a continuous cropping system to a rotationwith a third of the acres in chemfallow. The environmental andeconomic realities of the Otto farm are the key drivers behindBrian's cropping and management decisions.

"When I am deciding what to grow, I have to be flexible,"says Brian. "The crops I grow have to put a dollar back in mypocket." Brian grows barley, durum wheat, winter wheat, yellow mustard,yellow field peas with a few acres of safflower. He also tried severalspecialty crops including chickpea, lentils and coriander. Brian'sflexible approach to crop rotations helped him to respond toincreasingly unprofitable economic conditionsin farming.

"I started moving to include chemfallow inmy rotation after 2001-the worst drought we'veever had on this farm," says Brian. "I learnedthat continuous cropping works in this areauntil we have an exceptionally dry year - thenyou can lose a lot of money. If I go 20 milesnorth or west of my farm, the moisture profileimproves. But here, moisture is almost always

the limiting factor for plant growth. When I add together my yieldpotential on stubble, the cost of production and today'scommodity prices, continuous cropping is just too risky for us."

"I decided to do things differently," says Brian. "I graduallychanged my farm to a rotation with 1/3 chemfallow and 2/3 crop.By having some chemfallow, I am able to reduce my risk in reallydry years and also reduce my input costs. With chemfallow, I don'twork any ground and I don't have to worry about wind erosion.""My cropping choices are also influenced by what I can move atharvest," says Brian. "I try to forward price about 25% to 30% ofmy crop and move it out in August and September if I can."Economics

"When I prepare my farm plan in the off-season, part of mydecision to grow a crop is based on the pricingopportunities for that crop, but I also think ofwhat I want to follow in my rotation," Brianexplains. "Will this crop restrict me in what Ican grow or benefit the crop I plant thefollowing year? I try to get an average yield ofall the crops I grow over a 10-year period totry and figure out what I can get for yield. Iwill grow a crop that makes me very littlemoney if it fits in my rotation. Brian direct seeds barley into mustard stubble

MANAGING CROP ROTATION ON AD R Y L A N D F A RM I N A L B E R T A

By Sandra Taillieu

16 F A R M I N G S M A R T E R 2 0 0 6

"When I chose field peas for this year and plugged it into my fieldprogram it didn't look like I'd make any money on them but withthe nitrogen they put into the ground, I'll come out ahead. Forexample, if my peas yield 50 bu/ac they give me 30lbs of actualnitrogen for next year's crop. At $0.45/lb for N, I'm ahead$13.50/acre."Brian is flexible in choosing how much fertilizer to apply to eachfield: "I get soil tests taken and a lot of my decision will be basedon that soil test and what I need to apply for my target yield," hesays. "If the target yield doesn't pencil out for the cost of producingthe crop, then I adjust accordingly."

Commodity prices are a key factor in Brian's decision as tohow many acres he grows of each crop: "Mustard prices wereterrible last year so I substituted safflower, winter wheat and hardwhite wheat," he explains.

"We run a fine line on profit margins, so we have to be reallyaware of our fixed and variable costs," says Brian. "Fertilizer pricescan determine what we seed. We may seed more pulse crops withhigher fertilizer prices. If we see a 25% increase in the cost offertilizer this spring, we won't be able to seed the full 2/3 of ouracres. Fertilizer, chemical and fuel are the three input costs we haveno control over. I don't believe in planting a crop just for the sakeof paying my fertilizer and chemical bill. There has to be a dollarleft for me at the end of the day."Weed Management

"When it comes to making decisions on herbicides, I considercost, weed pressure and return on that investment," says Brian. "Iwon't get trapped into believing I have to kill every weed outthere.""My weed spectrum has changed with direct seeding from a lot ofhard-to-kill weeds like buckwheat and Russian thistle to more easy-to-kill weeds like stinkweed and flixweed, controlled with a springburn-off" explains Brian. "I've also noticed a significant decrease inmy wild oat pressure. I attribute that to less disturbance andseeding with a narrow opener."

"In continuous cropping, we were having quite a time withCanada thistle," says Brian. "Now that I am chemfallowing, I amgetting control of my Canada thistle. I haven't used pre-harvestglyphosate because of the cost. It just doesn't pencil out for me." Brian is careful with his use of residual herbicides in order tomaintain flexibility in his crop rotation: "I avoid most residualchemicals to give me more options for what I can seed," he says. "Iwill use pre-emergent Edge prior to safflower and yellow mustardbut it means I have to be careful if I want to follow these crops with

durum and winter wheat."Moisture"Moisture is a big consideration in deciding what crops to grow inmy rotation," says Brian. ""I try to seed about 700 acres of winterwheat if I have enough moisture. I need to have 1 inch of rain inthe fall to get the crop started. On my farm, having enoughmoisture to get the crop established is more critical than havingsnow cover to protect the winter wheat from cold temperatures. Ilike to seed winter wheat into mustard ground but in a dry year, Iwon't - I'll substitute barley. Residual from the Edge I use prior toseeding mustard can affect the survival of my winter wheat. In awet year, I have my choice of seeding winter wheat, barley, ordurum without any problems."Field SelectionBrian's cropping choices are often limited by the condition of theland he has available: "I have saline land that is best suited to barleyor wheat," he says. "I also have some hills that eroded years ago thatneed special attention to avoid further erosion."I don't want to put peas on fields that have a high weed pressure.Last year I put peas on a newly acquired land and ended up with amess of Canada thistle. It was a reminder of how important it is toknow your field history and to use that in your croppingdecisions."Changes with Direct SeedingBrian is pleased with the changes he has made on his farm: "I don'tworry about wind erosion since I switched to direct seeding," hesays. "Even in 2001 with the worst crop I've ever grown, erosionwas not a concern.

"When you leave the land undisturbed, it's surprising howmany deer and antelope, ducks, rabbits and racoons will maketheir home there. That's a bonus."

"The biggest change with direct seeding is that I'm notwearing out my equipment," says Brian. "I haven't replaced mytractor in 20 years. The cost of my iron is less now that I'm notsummer fallowing. There is a trade-off between reduced machinerycosts and increased chemical and fertilizer costs with direct seeding.It takes a pretty sharp pencil to make a dollar either way."

Despite the struggles of the worst economic reality since hebegan farming, Brian presses on: "The success I see is theimprovement in the quality of my land in the last five years," hesays. "It's alive again! When I go out in the spring to seed and seeall those earthworms in the soil - it tells me we're doing somethingright."�

Brian's crop rotation varies depending onmarkets, moisture and weed pressure but hefollows a few basic principles."I do not repeat any crop - for example, growingdurum on durum stubble," says Brian. "I try togrow an oilseed or pulse followed by a winter orspring cereal in order to reduce disease pressures. "Doing a good job of in-crop weed control canbe tough in pulse and oilseed crops. If I have anemerging weed problem in a field, I clean it upwith either a cereal or chemfallow the followingyear.

"As a rule of thumb, I try to keep the combinedcost of my broadleaf and grassy weed control atless than $20/acre.""I won't chemfallow pea ground- I put it intowheat," says Brian. "Peas fix nitrogen and I wantto use that to my advantage. There isn't a lot ofresidue left after peas and I am careful to avoidsoil erosion. Wheat provides residue cover forthe land and allows me to gain from therotational benefits of peas."

17F A R M I N G S M A R T E R 2 0 0 6

Sixty miles east of Lethbridge, Koos Wysbeek evaluatesthe risks and rewards of dryland pulses as he plans for nextyear's crop. Koos manages 4000 direct-seeded dryland acresand 4500 irrigated acres on Burbridge Farm Limited atBurdett. He is also a Commissioner for the Alberta PulseGrowers.

"Pulse crops have changed dryland farming in a reallypositive way," says Koos whose farm experience spans twenty-five years. "Our dryland acres are all direct-seeded in acontinuous crop rotation that alternates between cereal andpulse crops. We grow durum, yellow peas, hard red springwheat and kabuli chickpeas. We do not direct-seed ourirrigated land because sugar beets and dry edible beans areincluded in the rotation."

"We started growing dry beans on the irrigated land in1985," says Koos. "Around the same time we startedcontinuous cropping the dryland acres and then we begandirect seeding. We tried growing canola, mustard, andsunflowers in rotation with cereals but we had trouble gettinga return on them in a continuous cropping system. The inputcosts were just too high for what we could produce with anaverage rainfall of 200 mm/year."Yellow Field Peas

"I was looking for a good rotation crop when I found outabout peas at a farm meeting," says Koos. "In 1998, we triedthem and they worked very well. Consider a side-by-sidecomparison of two stubble crops, fertilized the same in anygiven year on this farm. The durum grown on pea stubblewould show a 25% yield advantage and probably some protein

advantage over the durum grown on durum stubble. Therotational benefit from yellow peas is partially a moisturebenefit. Yellow peas only draw moisture18-24 inches deep andfor a relatively short part of the growing season as they areharvested by the end of July. In dryland farming, that makes adifference."

"In general, if you compare stubble crops on this farm,yellow peas will yield 20% more than durum, depending onthe moisture. Our yellow pea yields range from 25-40 bu/ac onaverage. Last year we had close to 50 bu/ac but that was anexception.

"I went to a seminar in the early 1980's and there was aspeaker there that said 'whatever you do, don't cut back onnitrogen for the cereal crop following peas. On a wet year youwill get your bushels and on a dry year you will get yourprotein'. I really believe in that."

"There is a big push to lower the amount of nitrogen youapply because the price of it is so high," says Koos. "I won't bedoing that. My philosophy is if you're going to farm, you haveto use the inputs you need to get a return. It's tough to do, butwe had a perfect example in 2002. We had low reservoirs in thespring and it was really dry and a poor outlook. Lots of farmerscut back on N and after May it started to rain. You could drivearound and see those fields hurting."

"Nitrogen fertilizer is a relatively cheap investment for thereturn," Koos says. "10 lbs of actual nitrogen costs about $4,which would be equivalent to the value of a bushel of durum.By cutting 20lbs/acre, you save $8. That same 20 lbs/acre willprobably give you a net gain of 5-10 bushels in yield on a wet

MANAGING THE RISKS AND REWARD OFP U L S E C RO P S

By Sandra Taillieu

Seeding yellow field peas on durum stubble stubble

18 F A R M I N G S M A R T E R 2 0 0 6

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Alberta Ag Info Centre

1-866-882-7677310-FARM (3276)

With solid experience and backgrounds in agricultureand agri-business, Alberta Ag-Info Centre’s resourceagents and specialists are available to answerquestions, and provide valuable information to helpyou make management decisions

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statutory holidays

year or 1-2% protein on a dry year. Some years you won't gainanything by fertilizing but I don't think you're losing toomuch either."

Koos manages his weeds carefully. "We do a spring burn-off with 0.4-0.7 L/acre of glyphosate on our pea fields," heexplains. "We start seeding peas as early as the last week ofMarch. They are the first crop we put in. A lot of times thereisn't much weed growth. We seed with a John Deere 1895 discdrill, which is very low disturbance. Germination of the fieldpeas can take 7 to 14 days. I watch. If the weeds startgerminating before the peas, they will be up between the timewe plant the peas and when they emerge. I may do my burn-off after seeding and two days before the peas emerge. We seed,then roll, then spray with glyphosate. In-crop we usually useOdyssey to control our broadleaf weeds and wild oats."Kabuli Chickpeas

"The very first year I considered growing chickpeas, Ilooked at the seed cost and decided against it," says Koos. "Afriend of mine grew them that year and he convinced me togive them a try."

Chickpeas do not provide the rotational benefit of fieldpeas. "Durum grown on chickpea stubble would have acomparable yield to durum grown on durum stubble," saysKoos. "Chickpeas root deep and draw moisture from up to 3feet for the full length of the growing season as they areharvested at the end of September or later. This leaves muchless moisture than field peas for the following crop." Still, the

comparatively high returns for quality make chickpeas anattractive option for the dryland acres of Burbridge FarmLimited.

"I grow CDC Zena and CDC Diva varieties of Kabulichickpea. Seed this spring cost me $0.52/lb and I seeded 150lbs/acre. If you grow chickpeas you have to be willing to putthe inputs into it. When I seed chickpeas, I prepare to spendmore money on herbicides the following year but it's all aboutreturns. That's the only reason I stick with chickpeas - thereturns.

"Our yields for Kabuli chickpea averaged 1800 lbs/ac in2003, 1200 lbs/ac in 2004 and 1400 lbs/ac in 2005. The lasttwo years the price for kabuli chickpeas has been good. Thechickpeas are graded by size and this year we were able to get$0.38/lb for 9mm chickpeas and $0.45/lb for 10mmchickpeas. It works out to roughly $20-$24/bu, which is veryattractive. Last year, I grew a couple of quarters for seed sohopefully the return will be good on that too."

"Chickpeas are a high management crop," says Koos."They can only be grown once in four years because of thepotential yield loss caused by ascochyta blight. This year, withall the moisture we had there was a lot of disease pressure fromascochyta. We sprayed the chickpea 4 or 5 times with Bravo,Quadris and Headline fungicides in rotation at $13-$15 a passto protect the crop from ascochyta.

"Weed control in Chickpea is also very tricky because thein-crop herbicide choices are so limited. I still have mixed

19F A R M I N G S M A R T E R 2 0 0 6

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feelings about growing chickpea because of the problems withweed control. We do apply Edge in March or early April on thefields we plan to seed into chickpea. We broadcast it whenthere is rain or snow in the forecast."

"2003 was the first year I grew chickpeas and I put theEdge on in January," explains Koos. "Then we got 3 inches ofsnow and it worked great. Our crop was as clean as a whistle.In 2004 I put the Edge on in March and we didn't get anymoisture. It didn't work very well at all. Our chickpea crop wasa disaster. But, we had a nice fall and the weeds dried down soI didn't have to use a pre-harvest. We harvested and the returnswere still very good.

"In 2005, we had fairly good control with Edge on 2/3 ofthe chickpea acres but it was less effective on the sandier soilwhere we had a fair amount of weed growth. We usuallyharvest chickpea the last week of September. The chickpeashave to mature naturally. Normally, a killing frost will drydown the weeds, but this year we had to apply Reglone to thecrop mid-September for dry down."Special Management for Pulse Crops

Field selection is critical to growing any pulse cropsuccessfully. "At harvest I pick the fields I could use," saysKoos. "Most of the fields we have fit for field pea but not everyfield is suitable for chickpea. I won't grow chickpea wherethere is high weed pressure or poor soil quality where thesuccess of Edge may be questionable."

Koos has moved to a very low-disturbance seeding system: Koos Wysbeek, Farm Manager for Burbridge Farm Ltd., Burdett, AB

20 F A R M I N G S M A R T E R 2 0 0 6

"We went from 47 feet of Concord drill to 40 feet of JohnDeere disc drill," he says. "With a knife we had to seed at 4.5mph or the back shanks would throw dirt on the front rows.With the disc drill we can seed at about 7 mph. We use enoughair velocity to get the product to the boot and no more. It's afine line with peas and chickpeas. You don't want to plug andyou don't want to damage the seed."

"The biggest advantage with the disc drill is moistureconservation," says Koos. "With a knife, we would often seedinto moisture but after two or three days of Chinook winds,that seed-row was dried out. With the disc, we just slice it inand the seed is protected.

"With the disc drill, straw management is critical. Themain down-side with this drill is that heavy residue can causea hair-pinning problem. We use a chopper and spreader on ourcombines. If we get the residue spread evenly, we can managethe problem."

"We harvest everything with draper headers and straight-cut everything," says Koos. "We use a rotary combine, which isgentle on pulses at harvest. We use conveyors to handle the

peas and chickpeas and to fill the air cart. Handling pulses withconveyors helps to limit seed coat damage.

"I pick the best of my own seed to use for next year andkeep it separate. I get my seed tested for germination andvigour. If it does not meet my standards, I buy new seed. Ireally believe you have to start out with good seed.

"We always inoculate our peas and chickpeas but we don'tuse any fertilizer on them. I may try using nitrogen on ourchickpeas and do a side by side comparison to see if adding Ninstead of relying on nitrogen fixation might speed maturity.We used to apply only 40-50lbs of N with our dry beans andnow, over the last 4-5 years we've been using 80-100lbs ofactual N on irrigation for that very reason."

Koos admits pulse crops require special management, buthe believes they are key to the long-term success of his drylandcrop rotation.

"If there is anything you want to do in life, there is noreturn without risk," says Koos. "The rewards are there but ittakes disciplined management, the right inputs and a lot ofluck!"�

Field peas on May 3, 2004

1895 John Deere no-till disc drill

21F A R M I N G S M A R T E R 2 0 0 6

For Fred Kirschenmann, the drive to increase the size offarms in an effort to maintain profitability is the wrong way tobe sustainable.

He rejects that argument. Not only on the grounds ofsustainability, but also because a fragile, oil-dominated economyis not conducive to the economic well being of farmers.Kirschenmann is the Director of the Leopold Center forSustainable Agriculture based at Iowa State University. He wasin Lethbridge in December 2005 to speak at the SouthernAlberta Conservation Association's 12th Annual ReducedTillage Conference.

"The public is now aware of food supply issues. He addsthat, "The public is increasingly unhappy with the specializedfood system."

While this could be a source of trouble, he believes anadvantage for Canadian farmers is the greater public'engagement' than in the United States. This, Kirschenmannbelieves, will produce the pressure for change.

Indeed, based on Kirschenmann's own experience, it isclear the official policy south of the border is one of notworrying about who produces the food as long as someone doesit.While he believes the government is unlikely to change itsposition in the foreseeable future, some involved in the foodservice industry are beginning to respond to public pressure.

Sysco, North America's largest food supply company,evolved a marketing strategy based on "memory, romance andtrust," conjuring up visions of a bucolic landscape of rollingfields and orchards inhabited by fresh-faced farmers and theirfamilies. This seems a far cry from the "fast, convenient and cheap"mantra of 30 years ago.

Kirschenmann says they are riding the current wave ofconsumer dissatisfaction with bland, tasteless foods and that, ifa company like Sysco can see the value of changing theirmarketing strategy, then there are clearly opportunities forproducers to do the same.

Also, mid-sized, family-run farms are the ones best placedto take advantage of these burgeoning opportunities. Smallproducers won't have the capital to take advantage of marketchanges; large organisations will be too unwieldy.

"The marketing opportunities are there, but they have tobe seized now." Kirschenmann says there are other optionsavailable that, if taken early enough, may prove the basis of anagricultural renaissance.

Many agriculturalists and writers favour one of theseoptions; a 'back to the future' approach where updated versionsof methods used in earlier times replace current technologies.

Although it received no appreciable coverage in theU.S. media, Kirschenmann says the most significant report tohave ever come out of the United Nations was their recentMillennium Ecosystem Assessment Report that stated about 60per cent of all ecosystems were reported as "substantiallydegraded."

Using graphs plotting farm income and expenditure from1949 to 2002, Kirschenmann demonstrated that while grossincome "maintained pretty well" throughout the period, netincome decreased steadily over time.

"Farmers have no 'wiggle room.' It's all about how wemake enough to keep in business another year. That's why I call

it a bankrupt farm economy."Much of the decrease in farm income over the period could

be attributed to increased use and costs of fertilisers and otherinputs, many that depend on an oil economy for theirproductionKirschenmann states the core assumptions of industrialagriculture include: a belief in continued availability of cheapsources of energy, technological innovation can always solveproblems and specialization, simplification and concentrationwork best to achieve efficiency.

"It is an assumption which is no longer true."However, he believes we are now moving into the

"sustainable age" of agriculture from the industrial age, but, inorder to meet the challenges of the future, it is vital to build anagricultural system that remains sustainable indefinitely.

Agriculture must simplify procedures and routines as muchas possible to cut down on unnecessary consumption ofirreplaceable resources.

He adds that from an efficiency ratio of 1:100 for oilextraction during the 1940s, (one gallon of oil expended toproduce100 gallons); by the 1990s, it dropped to 1:10.

Even with alternative sources of energy, such as the latestgeneration of wind turbines with their efficiency of 1:50, hebelieves energy suppliers will never reach the efficiency levels ofthe middle of the last century again.

"We're never going to get back to those heady days," hesays.Most prepared foods in North America now consist largely ofjust four ingredients, corn, soya beans, sugar and salt fuellingconcerns about lack of diversity in the food chain and lack ofchoice for consumers."Ecological health of the land is so compromised it may notbounce back," he says.

As the situation is so complex, there can be "no simple fix."Climate change, loss of bio-diversity, land degradation, speciesand habitat loss all contribute to a decreasing resilience ofecosystems. However, with an expected 30 - 80 per cent increase in demandfor food production expected over the next 50 years, there is stilla belief that crops must increase yields as the only way out of theproblem.Other evolving trends focus on what Kirschenmann calls the"soul values" of personal relationships and the importance ofbeing "small and local." In this context, local doesn't meangeographically close to the consumer. It means giving theconsumer an emotional connection with the product and theproducer. Using the Wisconsin-based Organic Valley producergroup as an example, a marketing group of about 700 familyfarms with a turnover of $200 million U.S., he says such simplemeasures as maintaining a "meet the farmers" section on thegroup's web site achieved this. "The primary benefit to the farming families is that people don'tmind paying higher prices if they are getting good quality inreturn." Kirschenmann suggests there are also other, less tangible benefitsin striving for better quality food. "There is evidence, albeit anecdotal, that by producing betterquality food with fewer chemicals, health care expenditures mayreduce," he adds. �

WHERE LIES THE PATH TOS U S T A I N A B I L T Y

By Iain Shute

22

The Southern Applied Research Association (SARA) hasa new home for its Diagnostic Field School (DFS). After about15 years of staying with friends and family, SARA contracted50 acres of land at the Lethbridge Research Station.

"We're very excited because we contracted this site for afew years," says Elizabeth Tokariuk of SARA. The firstdiagnostic field school began in the early 1990's in the Chinarea for two years. Funding difficulties forced it to take asojourn for a couple of years before Alberta Agriculturereestablished it at Lethbridge Research Station where itsurvived for a couple more years. Internal changes at AlbertaAgriculture gave SARA the opportunity to step in and workwith Alberta Agriculture, Agriculture Canada and interested

private industry representatives that provide module designand instruction for the field day held each year.

SARA hopes to institute a three-year rotation on 30 acresand use 20 acres for long-term research projects.

"The main reason we wanted a piece of land on a morepermanent basis is so we can do long term plots for manuremanagement, herbicide carry over, long term rotation andthings you can't you do when you move every year," Tokariuksays. "You can't establish forages, for example, and have anything toshow beyond establishment because you're gone from that sitethe next season. There are all kinds of things we wanted to getour hands on that we haven't been able to do because we

haven't been assured of a permanent site," she adds.The DFS mandate is to provide farmers and

industry with tools to farm more efficiently in thebest way possible by keeping abreast of current andemerging issues.

"The insect module is a perfect examplebecause quite often we'll plant things that we knowwill attract certain insects, but come summer, wenever know if we'll have a new insect out there.When we find something different we can ask ourproducers, 'Hey have you guys seen this?'" explainsTokariuk. "This is the damage it will cause and wecan be very responsive to new insects and in somecases diseases and give producers the tools right awayto address any problems.

"We want to offer leading edgemanagement tools to the producers," she says, "Nowwe have a long-term site as home."�

THERE’S NO PLACEL I K E H OM E

SARA DFS 2006 Field dayJune 27-29

Lethbridge Community CollegeOne-day workshop

three days to choose to participate

SARA members $100; non members$125

Focus: Management practices on different crops

Visit www.areca.ca or Call ElizabethTokariuk, 403-328-0059, for

information.July 27 follow-up day.

A group of producers attend the DFS field day in 2004.

These plots are part of the 2005 DFS.

F A R M I N G S M A R T E R 2 0 0 6

By Claudette Lacombe

23F A R M I N G S M A R T E R 2 0 0 6

2006 will see producers facing high fertilizer prices and lessthan robust crop prices. The anticipated narrowing of marginsand net returns will make this a "Triple E" fertilizer managementyear to use fertilizer effectively, efficiently and economicallyaccording to Ross McKenzie, Agronomy Research Scientist withthe Crop Diversification Centre of Alberta Agriculture, Food andRural Development (AAFRD) in Lethbridge.

What are the possible fertilizer options for producers toconsider for this crop year and beyond?

McKenzie indicates that the one question that producers askis "how can I cut back on fertilizer?” His recommendation is thatthe producer initially needs a starting point to really decide if andhow much to cut. The best way to have a starting point is to soiltest, not necessarily every field, but key fields that can act as areference for other fields. This will tell you where your nutrientlevels are because, without a starting point, you really do notknow how much you should cut back.

Spring soil testing may be particularly beneficial this yeardue to improved soil moisture from 2005's wet fall that resultedin increased microbial activity. Also, for most of this past winter,southern Alberta soils did not freeze and this microbial activitycontinued; which is not typical. According to McKenzie, thereality is that if you soil sampled last fall and again this spring,odds are that you would find significantly more nitrogen thereand available for the plants than you would have found last fall.That will beneficially reduce the amount of fertilizer needed. Ifthat's the case, the good news is that the higher than normalnitrogen levels this year allow producers to cut back ontheamount nitrogen fertilizer.

With your soil analysis defining your fertilizer needs,McKenzie recommends producers talk to several different dealersand compare fertilizer prices. With current nitrogen fertilizerprices at around 45 cents/pound, McKenzie feels this is the timeto shop around to get "the best deal in town." He also suggeststhey check out all types of nitrogen fertilizer - anhydrous, liquidand urea - and not just what they used in the past. When youprice them out per pound of actual nitrogen, a 5 cent/pounddifference is significant and can make a difference as to theamount of nitrogen you want to apply. Try to pick the cheapestform of nitrogen you can get at the best price you can get fromyour fertilizer dealer. This might let you put on more fertilizerwithout spending more money.

Finally consider your cropping options for the best use offertilizer. He recommends answering these questions: what cropsare you growing; what are the expected crop prices; what is youryield potential, how much nitrogen does the crop require andhow much would you expect to get back? To assist in thisanalysis, McKenzie recommends using the Alberta Farm Fertilizer

Information Recommendation Manager (AFFIRM) programavailable/downloadable free of charge from the AAFRD Ropin'the Web website (see instruction sidebar). This analysis toolallows the producer to select the farm's soil zone and examine andcompare possible cropping and input options and expectedreturns by inputting the soil test values, the soil moistureconditions, the crop(s) choices, the expected crop price(s) and thefertilizer price(s) to determine your 2006 planting choices.

Given southern Alberta's excellent soil moisture conditionsgoing into the 2006 crop year, McKenzie notes that this yearproducers will also have other fertilizer considerations. Theproducer can take a greater risk in applying fertilizer because thereis a greater chance of a return, given that yield potential will bebetter.

The producer will have a wider array of possible croppingoptions with better returns available to consider.There is limiited need for micronutrient fertilizers except withbeans or corn on sandy soils. Spending an additional $5/acre onnitrogen will provide better returns than on unnecessarymicronutrients. In addition, facing high fertilizer prices the producer can considerproduction alternatives and doing things differently.

Look at crops that fix nitrogen. If you're unhappy withputting on nitrogen, then make sure that 20 - 25% of yourcropping acreage is in a pulse crop like peas or lentils. Thefollowing year you can cut your nitrogen fertilizer applicationback significantly, because long term pea/wheat rotation researchhas shown good returns in a dryland crop rotation in the Brownsoil zone.

Applying composted manure at a moderate rate every fouryears could eliminate the need for phosphorus, potassium andsulphur fertilizers. If you are in close proximity to a feedlot, oftenfor the transportation cost you could consider application ofcompost on one quarter of your land base each year, reducing oreliminating the need for fertilizers other than nitrogen.

In summary for 2006, it will be more effective, efficient andeconomical fertilizer use not more fertilizer that offers the betterreturns. �

To Download AFFIRM software

Visit www.agric.gov.ab.caclick on Calculators

Scroll down to Crop & Forage Nutrient UseClick on AFFIRM V2.0 and follow the download

AFFIRM instructions.

FOR 2006 AND BEYOND: FERTILIZER’S “TRIPLE E” FUTURE

� !!� � P&]� ‹� � !!&� &� 7P � 7� � � � <7<6&� � 1By Reg Norby

24 F A R M I N G S M A R T E R 2 0 0 6

A three-year study conducted by Southern Applied ResearchAssociation (SARA) experimented with several varieties ofSorghum-Sudan grass mixed with millet.Warm season grasses (WSG) are more common in the U. S.,but producers began trying them in southern Alberta in recentyears. The Sorghum-Sudan is a hybrid between grain Sorghumand Sudan grass. "Subsistence farmers use grain Sorghum as an alternative tocorn, because it is very drought tolerant, has a much biggerroot system and less leaves. If it gets dry weather, it will godormant whereas corn will dry out," says Paul JungnitschSARA agronomist."Sudan grass is a more fine-stemmed, leafy grass, so the hybridgets the benefits of both," he adds SARA experimented with growing five-acre strips of differentvarieties of Sorghum-Sudan and millet to see how theyperform on a larger scale in southern Alberta conditions. WSGare competition for corn, oats and forage. During theexperimentation, they swath grazed, bailed and stockpilegrazed the crop. "So far, they had decent growth. There are some differencesbetween the varieties, but the interesting finding is thatgrasshoppers don't seem to like them," Jungnitsch says.He adds that when you combine that feature with the crop'sdrought tolerance, WSG may make an interesting fit into arotation during dry years. The study also showed that WSG grows rapidly; which allowsfor late planting in emergencies. They grow to about four orfive feet tall and yield 1,465-1,800 pounds per acre of dry

matter.A southern Alberta producer who used WSG for the past threeyears stock pile grazed the crop to cut down on energy andequipment costs. He seeds warm season grasses one year, fencesthe whole quarter, moves the cows in to graze over the winter(which spreads the manure around the field), then seeds aregular crop in the following year."He cuts down his machinery costs by avoiding feeding thecattle, hauling manure and increases his yield on his nextcrop," Jungnitsch says. He cautions that the study did findsome challenges with the crop.With Sorghum-Sudan grass, there can be nitrate and prussicacid issues and, because of the millet, there are limited choicesfor weed management.The nitrates are a problem if the growth suddenly stops; duringa cold snap for instance or a period of no moisture. “This canbe an issue with other feed crops, but seems more of an issuewith these,” Jungnitsch explains. The Sorghum Sudan grassalso gets a prussic acid build up under these conditions, but itdissipates after seven days."You just let it dry down and the prussic acid dissipates," headds.SARA hopes to continue monitoring warm season grassesthrough communication with producers who grow them.SARA would like any producers who chose to grow the cropsin their rotation to invite Jungnitsch to see the crop and talkabout how it worked for you. Contact Paul Jungnitsch, 403-381-5118, if you try WSG on your operation. �

STUDY SHOWS WARM SEASON GRASSES CAN

WORK IN ROTATIONBy Claudette Lacombe

Warm season grasses offer producers an alternative in rotations and a viable choice for late season planting.

25F A R M I N G S M A R T E R 2 0 0 6

FARMING SMARTERN E W S B I T E S

Province opens state-of-the-art animal diseasesurveillance labAlberta's efforts in animal disease detection and researchreceived a substantial boost with the opening of the province's$14-million, state-of-the-art Level 3 Biocontainment Lab. Thenew facility puts Alberta on the cutting edge of animal diseasedetection and research."Animal health threats are a reality we've come to know quitewell in Alberta," said Doug Horner, Minister of Agriculture,Food and Rural Development. "It is vital that we not onlymanage these threats, but also expand our understanding ofthem. This facility makes Alberta a leader in animal diseasedetection and research." The lab will significantly increase Alberta's testing capacity foranimal diseases such as bovine spongiform encephalopathy(BSE), chronic wasting disease (CWD) and avian influenza(AI). While the initial focus of the lab will be testing, it willalso conduct animal disease research, in collaboration with theAlberta Research Council and the University of Alberta.For more information, please visit www.agric.gov.ab.ca.

CLA Network aims to harvest benefits of 'wonder nutrient'New knowledge of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) is at theheart of growing evidence that beef and dairy products may beamong the most promising health foods of the future.Now a broad, Alberta-based network of experts is in place tohelp turn that promise into reality. It's called the CLANetwork, and it's poised to deliver major benefits to the beefand dairy industries and to consumers. "Canadian researchers have been very active in studying CLAhealth benefits, the impact on animals and the methods ofincreasing CLA in both beef and dairy products," says VinceOhama, CLA Network manager with Alberta Agriculture,Food and Rural Development (AAFRD). CLA is a unique fat, found naturally in dairy and beefproducts, that is showing considerable potential for humanhealth benefits related to cancer, heart disease, obesity,diabetes, kidney disease and bone density. Studies haveconfirmed ruminant meats and dairy products already containnatural CLA and there is strong potential to enhance theselevels through a variety of livestock production strategies,including simple livestock dietary changes.Though research is in early stages and based largely on animalmodels, the potentially broad and clinically significant benefitsof CLA have earned it increasing recognition as a wondernutrient of the future.Through a collaborative effort involving government,academia and industry, the CLA Network formed in 2001. Itincludes representatives from many areas of expertise such asresearch, food industry, health and communications.Major advances in CLA are expected regularly over the next

several years and the CLA Network is a key link to globalprogress, says Ohama. "A key part of the CLA Network iscommunications. For more information on CLA and the CLA Network, visitwww.CLAnetwork.com.

New study to help canola farmers win battle with blacklegHelping western Canadian canola growers win the long-termbattle with blackleg is the goal of a new, three-year studysupported by the Endowment Fund, administered by WesternGrains Research Foundation (WGRF).The study will build a new base of knowledge on changingpopulations of the pathogen that causes blackleg. This willallow producers to better select canola varieties that haveresistance to the pathogen types of most concern to theirspecific growing area. It will also fuel the development of newcanola varieties that have better resistance against the ever-shifting pathogen population.More information, including a longer "Research Report" onthe results of the Rimmer study is available on the WGRF Website, www.westerngrains.com.

Global 'rust busters' take aim at new threat to wheatproductionWestern Canadian wheat farmers are helping scientists findsolutions for a major new disease threat to global wheatproduction."Ug99" is a new strain of stem rust first identified in Ugandaand now spreading in east Africa and toward the Indiansubcontinent. Canadian wheat researchers are part of aninternational effort to combat the disease by identifying anddeveloping wheat varieties that are genetically resistant to thedisease. In Western Canada, this effort is supported in part byfarmers through the Wheat Check-off Fund, administered byWestern Grains Research Foundation (WGRF)."We've had excellent resistance to stem rust in all of our springwheat varieties for 50 years, so the emergence of a new strain issomething we want to monitor closely and make sure we'reprepared," says Dr. Tom Fetch, pathologist at Agriculture andAgri-Food Canada's (AAFC) Cereal Research Centre inWinnipeg. "This is certainly a wake-up call on the need to beprepared."As its name implies, Ug99 was first reported in Uganda in1999, but its potential as a threat to wheat production is onlynow becoming understood. It is now also known as "blackrust" and has spread to both Kenya and Ethiopia, possiblybeyond.Canadian wheat varieties feature different genetic sources ofstem rust resistance. While the specific gene or genes behindthose sources of resistance are not pinpointed, testing so farshows at least some Canadian wheat material appears to have a

26 F A R M I N G S M A R T E R 2 0 0 6

level of resistance to Ug99.More information on Ug99 and Canada's role in the newinitiative is featured in the February edition of Western GrainsResearch Magazine, now available at www.westerngrains.com.

Booklet explains basic greenhouse gas, agriculture linkA new booklet that explains the basic relationship betweenCanadian cattle production and greenhouse gas emissions isnow available to beef producers and the public. The "Greenhouse Gas Sinks and Sources Tour Guide forCanadian Beef Producers" is a very user-friendly, 50-pagebooklet that lays down the fundamentals of the greenhouse gasissue, says Lee Pengilly, a Saskatchewan rancher, consultant andwriter who produced the guide on behalf of the beef sector ofthe Greenhouse Gas Mitigation Program for CanadianAgriculture (GHGMP)."For a lot of people, the confusing part is knowing what it isabout livestock production that affects greenhouse gasemissions," says Pengilly, who, along with her husband Ben,ranches near Melville, Sask. "What practices contribute togreenhouse gas emissions, and what can I do to change it?"A feature report on the Sinks and Sources Tour Guide isavailable on the CCA website at www.cattle.ca. Go to theStewardship section and follow the links. In the Sinks and Sources Tour Guide, Pengilly uses what shedescribes as "cowboy common sense" to explain in basiclanguage and with humor what is often viewed as thecomplicated interaction between modern-day agriculture andgreenhouse gas emissions.Free copies of the Sinks and Sources Tour Guide are availablethrough provincial beef producer associations and also fromthe Canadian Cattlemen's Association by calling (403) 275-8558 or online by visiting www.cattle.ca and making a requestunder the "contact us" link.

New Chair named for Surface Rights and Land Compensation BoardsFollowing an open competition, Alberta Sustainable ResourceDevelopment Minister Dave Coutts named Brian Gifford asthe new chair of the Surface Rights Board and the LandCompensation Board. Currently Chair and CEO of the British ColumbiaEmployment and Assistance Appeal Tribunal, Mr. Giffordbrings a wealth of experience in establishing and managing anindependent, quasi-judicial tribunal. Now completing hisMaster of Laws degree, Gifford also has several years experiencein private law practice and offers strengths in administrativelaw, arbitration hearing processes and interpretation oflegislation and policy. He begins his new position with the Boards on April 1.The Minister also announced that Dave Broda will move fromhis current role as Board Member, Surface Rights Board, toVice-Chair, Surface Rights Board. Mr. Broda has an extensivebackground in real estate and as a rural provincial governmentMLA.The Surface Rights Board is a quasi-judicial board authorizedunder the Surface Rights Act to grant Right of Entry anddetermine compensation related to energy activities. Where an

operator and a landowner or an occupant fail to reach anagreement regarding energy activities, the Surface Rights Boardis authorized to determine compensation. The Board issued1,786 Orders in 2005. The Board is also responsible for issuingcompensation orders for damage claims, rental reviews, andclaims for unpaid rentals. The Board also maintains all Rightof Entry Orders issued in the province through amendments,termination and partial termination. The Land Compensation Board is a quasi-judicial boardauthorized under the Expropriation Act to determinecompensation payable to a Landowner or a Tenant when anexpropriating authority has expropriated land. The LandCompensation Board received 23 applications in 2005.

Insurance changes to help grains and oilseeds producers this growing seasonAlberta's grains and oilseeds sector will see short-term relieffrom higher-than-expected input costs and low commodityprices this growing season while government and industrywork on a long-term recovery strategy for the $1.7-billionsector. Doug Horner, Minister of Agriculture, Food and RuralDevelopment announced production insurance changes thatwill see premium reductions for producers under one programoffered by Agriculture Financial Services Corporation (AFSC)and increased pay-out benefits under another.For the second year in a row, a producer's premium share of theSpring Price Endorsement option will drop from 50 to 30percent. This program allows producers to hedge against apossible fall commodity price drop. At the same time, floorprice trigger for payments under the Revenue InsuranceCoverage option will increase by seven per cent, allowing moreproducers to receive the benefits from this option. Revenue Insurance Coverageprotects producers against abnormally low commodity pricesby setting a predetermined floor price. Last year, more than$72 million was paid out to Alberta growers under these twooptions, resulting in additional insurance payments of about$13,000 for each participating producer.While these insurance changes will help grains and oilseedsproducers through this growing season, Horner said a long-term strategy for future years is vital. The Minister announceda three-point recovery framework that will form the basis ofupcoming discussions with industry. The framework looks at:better business risk management tools, including changes tothe Canadian Agricultural Income Stabilization (CAIS)program; new crop uses, new technologies and new varieties;and new business, new investment and new marketing tools.Details of Alberta's Grains and Oilseeds Three-PointFramework are available on Ropin' the Web(www.agric.gov.ab.ca). It will form the basis of consultationmeetings held across the province with grains and oilseedsindustry. Information on AFSC's production insurance forannual crops is available by calling any local AFSC insuranceoffice or the AFSC call centre at 1-888-786-7475 or by loggingon to www.AFSC.ca. �

27F A R M I N G S M A R T E R 2 0 0 6

Héctor Cárcamo is on the front lines these days in thefight against cross-border terrorism.

The slightly built former El Salvadorian PhD might notappear, at first glance, to be someone on whose narrowshoulders a nation would place its homeland security. ButCárcamo isn’t battling these nefarious infiltrators with JohnWayne bravado and a bazooka. A microscope is more hisweapon of choice, that and a family of wasps.

Those are part of the arsenal available to him – and tofarmers throughout southern Alberta – to do battle with thenewest recruits of the insect world in their continuingcampaign for world dominance.

Cárcamo, research scientist with Insect Pest Managementat Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in Lethbridge, ismarshalling his forces for this spring/summer season against,among other six-legged enemies of the state, the cereal leafbeetle, a nasty piece of work seen for the first time in southernAlberta last year.

Native to Europe, legions of the cereal leaf beetle showedup in Ontario close to 40 years ago, but it has taken this longfor them to appear in Alberta. To date, they’ve been spotted injust two counties – Taber and Lethbridge – but the threat theypose has been serious enough for the Canadian FoodInspection Agency to slap a legal order on hay deliveries

leaving these two areas, ordering that they be fumigated beforethey’re transported.

“The ones seen in 2005 could have come from B.C. orMontana,” says Cárcamo. “We’re kind of surrounded here insouthern Alberta.”

So what uniforms does the enemy wear? Farmers arewarned to be on the lookout for a beetle with a black head, aniridescent blue-black abdomen, and a distinctive orangethorax. Its legs, too, are orange, and it bears long, thinantennae. In fact, says Cárcamo, but for those antennae itbears a resemblance to the soft-wing flower beetle, actually abeneficial, native insect.

The cereal leaf beetle will dine on a variety of grain crops– Cárcamo calls it a “generalist” – but prefers oats, wheat andbarley. Its larvae are easily distinguishable, looking as they dolike small slugs attached to plant stems, an appearance theresult of covering themselves in their own feces to make themless palatable to birds.

After over-wintering in field margins and shelter belts, thebeetles will appear in June. They’ll hit oats first, a strategyCárcamo hopes to use against them.

“We’ve asked our diagnostic field school to plant oatsearly this year to see if oats might make a potential trap crop,”he says.

BUGS WITHOUTP A S S P O R T S

by Peter Scott

Faba bean leaf damaged by the pea leaf weevil; note characteristic notching on leaf edge (photo by H. Goulet of AAFC)

28 F A R M I N G S M A R T E R 2 0 0 6

But that’s just the war on the ground; Cárcamo also hopes tocall in the air force.

“That’s the good news,” he says. “This beetle is one of thefew insect pests in annual crop systems where biologicalcontrol has been used successfully.”

Which is science-type talk for: “Send in the wasps.”A pair of wasp species is tapped for this mission; one

attacks the beetle’s eggs, the other goes for the larvae.Cárcamo, along with Lloyd Dosdall of the University ofAlberta, has requested provincial funding to begin tests thisspring.

“But before we introduce an exotic species (the wasps arenot native to the area) into the area, we want to make sure wehave a real threat,” he says.

So farmers are asked to be vigilant and familiarizethemselves with the beetle. If they spot the enemy, Cárcamoasks them to contact him or the CFIA (Canadian FoodInspection Agency).

“With the pea acreage in the Lethbridge area increasing,this weevil may become more prevalent,” he says. “But wewant to make sure it’s a problem first; we don’t want to triggerirrational spraying.”

The weevil, with mouth parts distinctively at the end ofits head and elbowed antennae, originally showed up in thelast decade, but higher rates of damage occured in 2001. It hasa taste for peas and fava beans, notching their leaves like agiant paper punch, and will also get into lupines. But the realthreat comes from its larvae (it’s always the kids!) that feed on

root nodules, interfering with the plant’s ability to take innitrogen.

Also on the enemies list this year is the cabbage seedpodweevil, which, despite its name, threatens canola. Discoveredin B.C. in the 1930s, it headed south and east, throughout theU.S., but appeared in southern Alberta canola in 1995.Hot, dry summers tend to keep it at bay, but last year’s cool,moist conditions caused canola to ripen slowly, providing richterrain for the bug, which could prove a problem this summerif large enough numbers survived.

Because it is attracted to earlier flowering plants, Cárcamosuggests the best way to protect canola is to build a perimeterwall by planting a 20-30 m border of a field earlier than themiddle. The gap in the canola’s growth stages should allowfarmers to concentrate the weevils in the earlier flowering stripand manage them there before they reach economic level inthe middle.

That’s the intelligence so far this year, although the Swedemidge and the wheat-stem sawfly may also mount campaignsand the diamond-backed moth is known to be lurking in thearea.

In all, the season looks to be a busy one for entomologistsand growers who will need to dust off their sweep nets andkeep an eye for all these pesky bugs. �

Adult pea leaf weevil, a potential new pest of field peas in southern Alberta (photo by H. Goulet of AAFC)

29F A R M I N G S M A R T E R 2 0 0 6

Okay, not really, but Jack Payne's presentation on cropinvestigation science reintroduced farmers to the benefits offield scouting and how to use methods and design a system todiagnose problems.

"Field scouting is often overshadowed by glitzy productsor new technology, but it is effective at reducing inputs andincreasing revenues by identifying problems before incurringserious losses," says Payne an Olds College agronomist. Headvised conducting field scouting at least four times throughthe growing season. Herecommends a post seedingemergence assessment, weedidentification beforespraying, post spraying weedcontrol or resistanceassessment and a mid-seasonto pre-harvest check for insectinfestations and weeds. Producers can also check irrigationrequirements while scouting the field.While Payne thinks the ancient practice of field walking isunder rated, he isn't averse to using technology. He is a greatbeliever in aerial photography to identify potential field-wideproblems and close up photography to identify problems andkeep a record of subsequent solutions.

To tackle a field investigation in the style of Gil Grissomand the Las Vegas crime lab, Payne suggests starting with areview of records before heading out to the field.

"Always start at the house," he says, "I can't emphasizethat enough." With good record keeping, a producer can savea great deal of time, effort and money by correctly identifying

problems the first time. Payne says it is vital to collect all thefacts objectively from the written records before a physicalexamination. After reviewing all the field records, walk thefield and integrate all your observations without falling intothe assumption trap. Take care to keep accurate notes and takephotographs to provide an invaluable record. Take care tocorrectly identify any plant injuries; what looks like herbicideinjury may actually be insect damage. If insects are not visible,Payne advises a return visit later in the day. Remember that an

entomologist can identify theinsect species from the telltaledamage it leaves behind.

When you have all theinformation in hand,formulate a theory for thephysical finding in the field.Payne warns that accuracy

requires ruthlessness. If the theory doesn't fit, reject it andformulate another. It is a process of elimination and, before anyaction, the diagnosis must be sound.

It must be "beyond a shadow of doubt," Payne says. Seekassistance from external agencies if you have difficulty comingto a conclusion. Payne suggests a generalist rather than aspecialist.

"Pathologists think disease, weed specialists thinkherbicide injury," Payne cautions. Once you complete theassessment, ensure you keep full records of your observations,diagnosis and remedial action to provide future solutions toproblems more easily. �

ENGAGE IN A SELF-ASSESSMENTF O R Y O U R F A R M

By Iain Shute

C.S.I.C O M E S T O L E T H B R I D G E

By Iain Shute

Whether we like it or not, concern for the environment andthe affects of agricultural practices upon it is a hot topic.This is where an Environmental Farm Plan (EFP) can helpfarmers by increasing awareness of how farm activitiesinfluence the environment.

However, Alan Pasolli and Therese Tompkins of theAlberta Environmental Farm Plan Company don't expect

sudden changes in producer practice."You want to do the best you can," Pasolli says, "But small

steps are best." Pasolli adds increased health and safety,environmental quality, reduction of inputs, protection andimprovement of the environment are all sound reasons forimplementing a plan. Perhaps the most compelling reason isthe ability to gain access to incentive funds and take advantage

To tackle a field investigation in the style of GilGrissom and the Las Vegas crime lab, Payne suggestsstarting with a review of records before heading out

to the field.

30 F A R M I N G S M A R T E R 2 0 0 6

PIONEER HI-BRED SALES AGENTFor Southern Alberta:

BenchMark Seeds (Alberta) Ltd.RR 8 – 41 – 3 Lethbridge, AB T1J 4P4 Phone (403)320-59876311 – 56 Ave Taber, AB T1G 1X9 Phone (403)223-9090Corny VanDasselaar Adrian Moens Trevor VeenendaalCell (403)308-3602 Cell (403)308-6685 Cell (403)308-7199

of the free training and assessment gained through the EFPprocess.

The plan itself takes landowners through a workbooksupplemented by workshops and access to technical assistancewhile creating an individual plan tailored to individual needs.The process is inherently flexible, which makes it work forfarms as small as 20 acres right up to 16,000 acres according toPasolli who says, "It works for everyone."

"I've seen it work for hobby farms, Hutterite Colonies,chicken farms, llamas and honey operations with 10 millionbees" Pasolli says. The EFP process includes self-assessmentexercises related to water, pesticides, farm waste, householdwaste, waste water and energy efficiency in a practical, easy toimplement and understand process. The Peer Review processensures farmers don't try to do too much and becomedisappointed with the results.

Workshops involve two steps taken on separate days anddon't place large time demands on the participants. The firstworkshop day takes about four hours and is a chance to meetthe facilitator, select an area of concern, identify challenges andproduce an outline to show practical implementation of newsystems.

Producers then take the workbook home to complete anon-site assessment of their operation and a draft plan to addressidentified issues. Pasolli says that, depending on the size andcomplexity of the operation, the 'homework' takes no morethan eight hours.

Two weeks after the initial workshop, the secondworkshop day gives participants a chance to ask questions andiron out problems through the facilitator. During the process,the plan receives blind peer review, which means that yourname is absent from the documents, but you get the benefit ofadvice from others working in the same field.

Since its inception, over 3,000 farms participated in someform of environmental planning and the mid-term target is totake 11,500 farms through the process by 2008. Alberta has30,000 active farms.

The federal government joined forces with the provincialgovernment in January 2005 to form the Canada Alberta FarmStewardship Program. The program supplies up to $30,000per farm for environmental stewardship projects. As Pasollisays, there is much more public awareness about farm and foodproduction environmental issues today; as anyone who attendsa public meeting regarding intensive livestock operations canconfirm.

Not only will the EFP identify areas for improvement,but Pasolli says it points out areas producers do well. It is apotential way to add value to an operation or increase customerconfidence. �

Soil Fertility, Agronomy, Weeds, Herbicides, Diseases, Insects

SARA, AAFRD, AAFC and industry to present hands-on workshops. Experts addresscurrent issues and challenge you to see more in the plots. An intense learning experiencethat's invaluable for crop planning, problem diagnosis and management.

If you can't come, make sure your crop advisor attends.

To register or for more info: Elizabeth Tokariuk 403-328-0059 (Fax 380-3889)

E-mail: Sara.research@connectcomm.ca

Soils & CropsDiagnostic Field School

Lethbridge Research Centre – July 27 – 29th, 2006

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