We started with a major extension program for conservation practices in the late 80's in Saskatchewan with the Save our Soils program. We started by promoting shelterbelts, chemfallow, strip cropping, snow trapping with field barriers and stubble strips, forage establishment on marginal lands and there was a little bit of interest in direct seeding.
I recently had the opportunity to visit parts of Nebraska and Colorado and speak to some of the more progressive farmers in the region. That is when I realized how far we have come in our direct seeding and conservation tillage practices.
In this area of Nebraska and Colorado, 90% of the acres that are in dryland cropping are in a winter wheat - fallow rotation. The winter wheat is sown in September and does not have enough growth to protect the soil from erosion through the winter and early spring. Some farmers are trying to direct drill back into it's own stubble but disease and downy brome cause problems . They will average between 30 and 40 bus/ac. on their winter wheat crop. They have been able to survive on this because the are still "farming out of the mail box". Farmers are still being receiving government payments for a number of programs. There is a little bit of proso millet grown in the area and there is very little dryland corn. They would like to try peas or chickpea in the rotation but they say they will have to use them for forage because there is no processing plants close by, therefore there is no market. Many of the farmers feel they are too dry to stubble crop but they get 14 to 16 inches of annual rainfall a year. They harvest the winter wheat in July and usually they get some fall rains. This year in October they also had 2 ft of wet snow. This snow had all melted by the time I went down there in February and because the soils don't freeze in the winter all the snow melt went into the ground. One farmer told me that he had 6 feet of wet soil in the stubble right now but he would be summerfallowing those fields because spring wheat just doesn't yield for them. He hadn't looked at other spring crops to find one that will work for a rotation.
There are a few farmers that are trying no-till but not many. There is interest in it though as they have heard rumours of what we are doing north of the 49th parallel. They also fear the government payments will be ending soon and they need to find an economical farming system.
This trip let me see where we were 10 to 15 years ago. Now look where we are: 22% of the acres in Saskatchewan are seeded with low disturbance direct seeding, another 25% seeded with high disturbance direct seeding. A crop selection in the province of wheat, barley, durum, oats, canary seed, peas, lentils, chickpeas, mustard, canola, flax, plus many smaller acres of specialty crops.
Necessity brings on innovation and diversity. Economics has been driving the system and I don't think it will stop now. We will continue to find and develop new and innovative technologies and crops that will work in our cropping system.
You have done a good job, give yourself a pat on the back.