Grainswest - Fall 2021

Fall 2021 Grains West 24 while hollows are in good shape. This demands they individually manage each field. Under the principles of 4R fertilizer management, each is given its own fertilizer blend at seeding. Uneven maturity rates require certain fields be desiccated and others not. It all takes time to manage and, of course, yields vary. “It is challenging,” said Christi who is an Alberta Wheat Commission region five representative. “We’re still trying to figure out what’s going to work for us. We’re very open and willing to try new things. I think that’s what makes you a progressive farmer.” To gauge the value of new practices, the Friesens perform frequent field trials. There can be a fine line between what works and what doesn’t. For instance, they don’t desiccate their wheat after frost. This worked great when frost hit their mature wheat in mid- September last year, but was a disaster in mid-August of 2019 when the crop was nowhere near maturity. However, that same year, they let their frosted canola stand and mature on its own and achieved green counts much lower than the local average. Not typical for their area, a practice they’ve adopted that has worked uniformly well is to straight cut everything. The couple’s drive to tailor their methods is twofold, said Friesen. They work to improve sustainability in tandem with the financial bottom line. “We’re always calculating here,” she said. To avoid unnecessary spray application, they monitor insect thresholds and choose pesticides carefully so as to minimize impact on beneficial insects and soil microorganisms as well as avoid herbicide carryover. “If you’re farming in a sustainable way, it potentially gives you extra marketing opportunities,” said Friesen. For example, through Cargill, they participate in a voluntary sustainability tracking program that gives them access to the European biofuels market for canola. These sustainable ways have also served well in their 1,800-acre rental relationship with the Duncan’s First Nation. In a process Friesen described as a two-way education, they’ve worked with the community to reconcile their weed and pest control needs with the community’s own strong cultural belief in sustainability. As well, one of the Friesens’ two seasonal employees is a Duncan’s member. The Friesens also employ one full-time hired hand who is part of their business diversification plan. They purchased an excavator and a D6N Cat that allow this skilled employee to do excavation work in winter as well as taking on hauling and equipment moving projects. In tough years such as this, the initiative offers additional income and peace of mind. “What I’d like everybody to know is Peace Country farmers are the strongest and most optimistic kind of farmer there is,” said Friesen. “We deal with anything Mother Nature throws at us. It’s like a totally and completely different little world up here.” INTEGRATION AND DIVERSIFICATION In the midst of preparation for a camping trip, Nora Paulovich and her family gathered at their kitchen table. To concentrate on further expansion of their north Peace farm operation, Nora has just retired as manager of the North Peace Applied Research Association John (left) and Mackenzie Fingerhut built their farm operation from scratch five years ago with a heavy emphasis on digital technology. FEATURE