"The trees have made a world of difference." That was the message Jim and Russell Richards of Yorkton left with the Grades 11 & 12 Agriculture students from the Yorkton Regional High School. The students visited the Richards farm on a recent soil conservation tour organized by the SSCA. The Richards farm is located south and east of Yorkton. Their home quarter and the land surrounding it is very light. Prone to wind erosion, something needed to be done to keep the soil at home.
"About 13 years ago, we planted some trees on the home quarter and the quarter south of the house, just across the road. It took a lot of water and a lot of hoeing, but we got those little trees growing. And it didn't take long before we could see some changes", Jim told the students. The shelterbelts are mixtures of Green Ash, Carragana and Lilac. Today, over 3.5 miles of trees have been established on the two quarters.
"Once the trees got established, we noticed the soil didn't blow so much", said Jim. "And the trees trapped snow in the winter so there was more moisture in the spring for the crops". Jim and Russell listed a number of other benefits to the trees. "The wild life love our trees", said Russell. "We know there are lots of birds in the trees and we often see deer using the trees for cover as they move from field to field". Another benefit Russell pointed out was the value of the trees to other people. He told the students, "I believe that if we ever sell this land, the quarters with the shelterbelts will be worth more because the trees add value to them".
Russell also told the students he never gave much thought to the value of trees until he began looking after the shelterbelts. "You spend all that time hoeing, you want to make sure the trees live. And then you want the soil to stay in the field where it belongs. Then some of your farming practises change so you can be sure that happens".
The Richards told the students that they seeded some of the lightest land down to alfalfa. "You have to do what's best for the land", explained Jim. "Trying to grow annual crops in some areas just wasn't the right way to go". In addition to seeding the forages, the Richards have also extended their crop rotations, reducing the frequency of summerfallow.
While on the tour of the area around Yorkton, the students viewed a number of other sites that showed soil degradation and soil conservation practises. One stop was at some land owned by Ducks Unlimited. The land has never been broken so is an excellent example of what the area looked like prior to the arrival of the settlers. A discussion on the merits of seeding winter cereals also occurred. A field seeded to alfalfa to prevent the spread of salinity in the low areas, a riparian area and a crossroads where the four fields have all been managed in a different manner were other stops on the tour. The final stop on the tour was at a field that has been direct seeded for many years. Earlier in the spring, the students had compared a number of soil samples, one of which came from this field. At the time, the students commented on how black the soil appeared and how much "stuff" (residue) was in it. On the day of the tour, much of the stubble was still standing and the students were impressed by the amount of cover on the field.
Resource people for the tour were Juanita Polegi, SSCA and David Struthers, Sask. Winter Cereal Growers' Assoc.