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Spring
2018
grainswest.com15
As the soil warms and
spring planting is imminent,
lessons learned in the
previous crop year are top
of mind.
GrainsWest
asked a
group of Alberta farmers to
share an insight they gained
in the 2017/18 season as
well as one spring-focused
farm-practice tip.
OBSERVATION
Rain makes grain. One area of our farmwas in drought, another
got average rain and the third got average to above average.
The crops reflected that, but we decided to test the soil and it’s
going to pay off. We have a lot of residual nitrogen and phos-
phate in the drought area. We will not apply as much fertilizer
there, while adding to the depleted areas.
TIP
Follow farmers on Twitter. I can have a problemwith hydraulics
on my tractor or want to knowwhat everyone’s feelings are on a
wheat variety. I can put a question on Twitter and, guaranteed,
you’re going to get two or 15 answers.
OBSERVATION
This past year, I found tremendous value in capturing data on the
go through farmmanagement platforms, and will continue to
integrate advancing technology into my farm practices in 2018.
TIP
A spring playbook is beneficial during seeding. It’s a
several-page document we create each year, detailing plans for
the busy planting season ahead. For our farm, this includes
colour-coded field maps, seeding rates, fertilizer blends and
other information necessary for tackling seeding in the most
effective way. It also pays to get sheet protectors—mud, coffee
and papers don’t mesh.
OBSERVATION
Because of all the wet conditions and
the massive delay in getting in the field in
2017, we seeded 93 per cent of the acres
we did in 2016 in half the time. This made
for long days, but it also woke us up—if
you have the chance to seed, take it. An
extra few hours here and there allowed
us to finish only a day later than in 2016,
despite starting eight days late.
TIP
I don’t shy away from night seeding. To
aid with this, I’ve switched out almost all
the lights on the tractor and drill with LED
units. LED prices continue to go down,
they draw less power and have impres-
sive output. Some brands have amber
snap-on covers, which helps with dusty
field conditions and looking into cart
tanks while loading.
OBSERVATION
Ten years into our farming career, we had
become a bit complacent with business
relationships and contracts. In 2017, we
assessed whether or not our needs were
being met at our bank, insurance agency,
etc. Our needs are nowmore wholly met
and it was a good exercise to take stock
and do some cost comparisons.
TIP
Winter wheat is a major “hack” on our
farm that streamlines things in the spring.
We consistently have winter wheat in
our rotation and it eases the workload
in spring and helps our operation with
labour constraints. It also means that
we can cover more acres with the same
seeding equipment.
JOSHUMSCHEID
VULCANCOUNTY
MELISSA STANFORD
MAGRATH
JESSICA VANGAALEN
LANGDON
ROBERT GORDA
WILLINGDON
ILLUSTRATIONS BY EMILY CHU