Grainswest - Spring 2024

Spring 2024 42 LET’SMAKE IT TO 100% When recycling ag containers, every one counts Great job recycling your empty pesticide and fertilizer jugs, drums and totes. Every one you recycle counts toward a more sustainable agricultural community and environment. Thank you. 2024 COLLECTION SITES OPEN APRIL 1. Ask your ag retailer for an ag collection bag, fill it with rinsed, empty jugs and return jugs, drums and totes to a collection site for recycling. In Alberta and Manitoba, ask your ag retailer if it’s a jug recycling location. Details at cleanfarms.ca NEW! Return empty seed, pesticide and inoculant bags for environmentally safe management. info@cleanfarms.ca @cleanfarms Find a collection location near you at cleanfarms.ca Logistics are a challenge. “Everything is a longer plan,” said Chris. “You can’t go out and spray your problem away.” As the couple developed their organic operation, they saw further opportunity to boost their bottom line through positive agronomic practices. “Our agronomy bill is significantly more now than when we were conventional,” said Chris. This is largely due to the effort they put into cover crops, tissue tests, soil tests and variety studies. For both organic and conventional farming, Chris believes cover crops are an underutilized tool. “Even if we quit organic and went back conventional, the cover crops and underseeding clovers is something I would keep in my toolbox.” Part of their cover crop management strategy includes the reduction of tillage to a four-week period every 24 months. “We aim for living roots, living crop on our lands, 23 out of every 24 months.” Being in a niche market, it has been difficult for the Simeniuks to find organic cropping data and research relevant to their region of Alberta. To compensate, they plan to conduct their own on-farm trials this summer. “The biggest learning curve is trying to dial in these cover crops for our area as far as nutrient replacement, weed management and to get the best benefits out of them,” said Chris. Working with their agronomist and research groups, their goal is to measure the amount of biomass the clovers produce and evaluate termination methods such as tillage and grazing. As the number of organic farms across Alberta grows, more such regional research will inevitably be generated. Nonetheless, organic operations tend to be unique, which forces a certain amount of self- generated knowledge gathering. Each farmer must find their own solutions to the challenges of organic production in their region. “On the organic side, everybody does a different thing,” said Chris. “Each person is a story unto their own.” FEATURE