Early start on planting
Warm weather has helped some Sturgeon County farmers get an early start on planting this year’s crops.
While May 1 is the traditional start of spring seeding in Sturgeon County, this month’s warmth means some farmers are already in the fields as of this week.
Alberta Agriculture reports that the warm spells like the one seen in the last 30 days happen every six to 12 years in Sturgeon, and that soil moisture reserves for spring wheat were near normal to moderately high for most of this region.
We’ve had an early and relatively slow thaw that’s caused most of the snow to soak into the ground instead of running off, explained André Montpetit of Sturgeon Valley Fertilizer. That means farmers will now have a lot of moisture banked in the ground for their germinating seeds.
“It’s setting up to be a really nice, on-time start.”
Montpetit said a few farmers in the county had started seeding as of last week, while most would get into gear next week.
We’re looking at almost ideal seeding conditions here, which should give crops more time to mature, said Bon Accord farmer Murray Mulligan. He suspects a few of his neighbours would be in the fields planting today, and planned to get going himself later this week.
The big question now is what to plant, Montpetit said. There’s a glut of wheat on the market, and China is putting trade restrictions on Canadian canola. Peas could go big, but only if the monsoons fail in India.
“There’s not a lot of optimism marketing-wise,” he said.
Montpetit said these next few weeks would be busy at Sturgeon Valley, as this was when they made about 80 per cent of their sales. Farmers would likely be oiling up their tractors and spraying for weeds as they get ready to start planting.
Watch out for big farm equipment on the roads as farmers work up to 16-hour days for the next few weeks, Mulligan said. Most seeding should be done by around the third week of May.
Dryer survey
Four Alberta grain groups hope Sturgeon County farmers will help them figure out the best way to dry grain.
Team Alberta (a partnership between the Alberta wheat, barley, pulse and canola commissions) has put out a call for farmers to take part in a three-year study of how to dry crops.
Farmers often have to dry wet crops so they don’t rot in the storage bin. This can be done through ventilation, dedicated dryers or add-on units that blow hot air into the bin.
Team Alberta launched this study because of the carbon tax, said Shannon Sereda of the Alberta Wheat Commission. Their research found Alberta farmers collectively spent up to $35 million on crop drying in 2018 due to the cost of propane and natural gas, up to $5 million of which was due to the carbon tax.
Even if the carbon tax gets repealed, wet falls are becoming more and more common, and with them the need for grain drying, Sereda said. If farmers can determine the best way to dry grain, they could cut energy costs and improve their bottom lines.
Sereda said the crop groups are looking to study 40 grain-drying systems from across Alberta.
“We’re looking for farmers that are regularly drying grain,” she said, and that ideally use in-bin heating systems.
The study will see analysts attach sensors to a farmer’s drying system to track its performance for three years, after which they’ll give the farmer a list of recommendations for improvement, Sereda said. The grain groups hope to compile these studies into a set of best practices for all farmers.
The study begins this July. Visit www.surveymonkey.com/r/H9HBTK8 to apply.
