GrainsWest Winter 2020

Arylex ™ Active target wild oats for barley FOR YOUR EYES ONLY Licence to spray. This season, elite growers are being briefed on a new secret weapon for barley in the fight against the prairie’s toughest weeds. • Cross Spectrum Performance Get leading Group 1 grass control plus unparalleled broadleaf control of cleavers, hemp-nettle, wild buckwheat, kochia and many more. • Total Flexibility With Arylex™ active flexibility, you can apply on your own terms. Early, late, big or small. • Easy Tank Mixing Tank mixed with MCPA, count on 3 chemical families in the Group 4 mode of action for e„ective resistance management. Get briefed at OperationRezuvant.Corteva.ca . Visit us at corteva.ca ™ Trademark of Dow AgroSciences, DuPont or Pioneer, and their a‡liated companies or their respective owners. © 2020 Corteva. Book by March 15, 2020 and save up to 18% with Flex+ Rewards.* The rewards program from Corteva Agriscience™ *Minimum 300 acres per category. She hoped the various varietals with their contrasting root lengths would reduce compaction. “It was interesting to see that an area that was very compacted, in the next growing season the soil changed structurally.” The practice increased aggregation, the healthy formation of bonds within the soil. “In that short period of time [the mix] allowed that soil to regenerate in a faster way than expected,” said Zavala. She stressed that although soils in this part of the province have more constraints, including low moisture, decomposition and organic matter, “with good management they have been made almost as productive as areas with fewer constraints.” IMPLICATIONS FOR CLIMATE VOLATILITY Farmers across the rolling grasslands and cultivated fields of this area have danced on the razor’s edge of survival for decades. They may have learned to thrive in this area that once drove many away, but with each census, the population in the Special Areas trends downward. The Roberts’s daughter Candy lives in Calgary where she works as a chartered accountant. She believes farming in the Special Areas holds opportunity given the right approach. “You need to think outside the box,” she said. “Land costs have crept up in the last few years. You have to get things on paper and pay attention to the data instead of gut instincts.” Real estate investors appear to agree. In recent years, some have bought land in the area, at times contracting young farmers to run successful operations. With a perspective earned from long hours working on the farm and through her financial experience, Candy recognizes the risks facing farmers but feels they can be managed with planning and understanding farm cost structures. “You have to be thinking about moisture. The biggest variable is the weather and you can’t control it, but with good plans in other areas you can mitigate the risk.” Christianson agrees. “They [ranchers and farmers] have learned to live within the means of their environment. When years are good, people will not hesitate to put up as much as they can and carry it over for a year or two so they have something to lean on when times are tough. I think that’s why people have been so successful in Special Areas. They’ve adapted to that [climate] volatility.” Good agronomic science and farming practices have enhanced soil health in the Special Areas, but a bone-deep commitment to long-term strategies underpins agricultural success. The people in the Special Areas are well positioned for climate challenges and their experience offers insight for their farming peers across Alberta.