The other day in the office, while chatting with one of the farmersabout seeding progress and direct seeding, he remarked, "Direct seedingsure is a good thing ... but it won't work on my soil!" When he left,I conducted a little poll among the other SSCA staff members and askedthem how many times they had heard that comment. The answer? MANY!
Why, then, is direct seeding practiced successfully all across the provinceand yet there are those who think their soils are preventing them fromalso adopting the practice? Do they know something that we at the SSCAhave overlooked? Hmmm. Who better to answer this question than the guruof Saskatchewan soils, Les Henry. Les is with the Department of Soil Science,College of Agriculture, University of Saskatchewan.
I asked Les if he could identify any soils in the grain growing regionof Saskatchewan where Direct Seeding won't work. Les replied, "I don'tknow of any specific soil type that can't be direct seeded. It seems ifsomeone has problems with the system, it relates more to management thanthe soil."
Good. Just what I wanted to hear. Soils are not created equally butthey are not the underlying reason for difficulty in Direct Seeding. So,why can many farmers successfully direct seed while others fear the systemwon't work because of their "soil type"? Perhaps the answer liesin a presentation given at our annual conference in 1994. One of the keynotespeakers at the Conference was Dr. Dwayne Beck with the Dakota Lakes ResearchStation at Pierre, South Dakota. In his address, Dr. Beck suggested thereare many considerations to be taken into account when moving form one systemto another. These considerations can be grouped into 3 broad categories:economic, agronomic and psychological.
From an economic standpoint, Dr. Beck suggests an operation's changeto direct seeding will depend upon the ability of the producer to takerisk, the producer' s knowledge about direct seeding, the labour situationand the type of machinery owned.
In terms of the agronomic considerations, Dr. Beck points out that oneset of limiting factors under the conventional system gives way to anotherset of limiting factors under direct seeding. He uses the example of limitedsoil moisture under a conventional system. Once the operation moves todirect seeding, inadequate soil moisture isn't usually a problem but otherproblems such as crop rotation are of greater concern. He adds that a directseeding system should be designed to "take advantage of the (system's)strengths and minimize the (system's) weaknesses."
Psychological considerations must also be factored into the equationwhen moving from one system to another. Commitment is a key factor in determiningthe success of the transition. He says, "... be sure you are committedenough to expend the effort and gain the knowledge necessary to make thetransition successfully. There will be problems. You will make mistakes.That happened when you conventionally farmed also. Keep in mind that residueon the soil surface did not cause the problem. If that approach is taken,you will sleep more comfortably and the transition will go faster and moresmoothly."
The SSCA has not been promoting a system that will work on only a few,select soils. Direct seeding is a system that has evolved and been developedso that it can and will work on all soils. Any producer contemplating achange from one system to another must overcome the economic, agronomicand psychological barriers associated with that change. At this point,Dr. Beck's concluding remarks are worth repeating: "Nothing is moreimportant in making a change to zero tillage than careful observation,adequate planning and a positive attitude."