GrainsWest Fall 2019

Tech 2019 Grains West 8 THE FARMGATE IF FARM FIELDS WERE PERFECTLY rectangular and contained no rocks, trees, gullies or waterholes, sectional control shutoffs on equipment wouldn’t be necessary. But on real Alberta farms such as the one Jason Saunders operates southeast of Taber, or D’Arcy Hilgartner crops near Camrose, the reality is quite different. Varying by the year, most fields contain obstacles to be worked around during seeding and spraying. The overlap of inputs is impossible to avoid. To accommodate irregular fields and obstacles, both farmers converted to air-seeding systems with sectional con- trol shutoffs in recent years. They have realized a six- to 10-per-cent saving on inputs that has been clear and relatively easy to measure. To a lesser degree, better harvestability has improved crop quality. Each expects to recover the cost of includ- ing the factory-installed sectional shutoff feature within two to three years. The cost of this feature can range from $25,000 to about $40,000 on new seeding equip- ment. But can further benefits be found? Both Saunders and Hilgartner suspect there may be environmental benefits that come with the reduced overlap of inputs afforded by sectional shut off equipment. The technology certainly reduces the percentage of chemical fertilizer applied. As well, depending on the type of seeding equipment used, the two farmers see op- portunity to reduce diesel fuel consump- tion if draft (tractor pull) requirements are also reduced. But, such suspected benefits are difficult to measure. This is where a new three-year study funded in part by the federal Canadian Agricultural Partnership (CAP) program comes into play. Initiated by Alberta Pulse Growers (APG), the Alberta Wheat Commission and Alberta Barley are also participating in the Prairie-wide project. Spotlightonshutoffs Measuring the green side of sectional control seeding APG policy and programs specialist Nevin Rosaasen will co-ordinate the study, which will strive to quantify the environ- mental benefits derived from sectional control seeding systems. While 2019/20 will be just the second season Saunders has used a seed- ing system with automatic sectional con- trol, he appreciates its reduced input costs. Sectional control has been offered with field sprayer equipment for more than 15 years, but has only become an option offered by seeding equipment manufactur- ers in recent years. Particularly in wetter years, Saunders has water features to work around. “Field layout can be irregular and it can involve a lot of turning to work around obstacles,” A new three-year study aims to quantify the environmental benefits of sectional control.