The CLC is gearing up for the 2000 crop season. As mentioned in the last article in the PrairieSteward, 55 acres was seeded to canola last fall. The remainder of the field will be seeded to Arrow canola and incorporate a seed treatment demonstration for the control of fungus and insects. Products will include Gaucho, Adjust, Counter, Helix, Vitavax RS, Foundation and Virosoft-BA3, a biological control for bertha armyworms.
Thanks to the efforts of Greg Perrot and other staff at PFRA in Melfort, progress is being made on plans to implement precision farming techniques on one of the CLC fields this spring. Initially, fertilizer rates will be varied in a field of Invigor 2573 canola. Several new technologies and equipment will be incorporated with respect to fungicide applications. Assistance is being provided by Ag Depot.
One new project is to evaluate the effect of copper, as well as managing for protein content, in the HRS wheat variety Barrie. An Asters Yellow disease plot will be established to monitor disease incidence in herbs. In conjunction with Simplot, work with the new Bourgault openers will be initiated. Other field plans include planting 100 acres of AC Elsa HRS wheat, 25 acres of Delta yellow peas and 32 acres of AC Metcalfe barley.
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada will continue their research trials on disease, landscape and fertilizer rates. The University of Saskatchewan will be collecting data on the alfalfa inoculant plots. New varieties and species will be added to the forage gardens with sponsorship provided by Byrne's Agri-Service and Newfield Seeds.
Plans are still being made to finalize further demonstrations projects for the year. One field day is already planned - a collaborative effort between Ducks Unlimited, Monsanto and the CLC comparing fall and spring seeded canola. Participants will visit the Ducks Unlimited fields near the CLC and then proceed to view the plots at the CLC. The date is Wednesday, July 12, 2000. Watch for details.
With regard to the school program, the CLC is pleased to announce that the Saskatchewan Canola Development Commission (SCDC) is sponsoring the school program this year. Their commitment to educating youth about the issues in agriculture (particularly the biotechnology aspects so hot these days) fits very well with the CLC mandate. The staff at the CLC looks forward to working with the SCDC and thanks them for their support.
There are many exciting projects yet to be decided for the year 2000. Through the continued support of our partners and sponsors, the CLC looks forward to another successful year.
We thank our 1999-2000 partners and sponsors:
PARTNERS: Ducks Unlimited Canada, Saskatchewan Soil Conservation Association, Royal Bank of Canada
GOLD SPONSORS: Monsanto, BASFSILVER SPONSORS: Simplot, Cyanamid, Saskatchewan Canola Development CommissionCONTRIBUTORS: AgrEvo, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, CanAmera Foods, Cargill, Cay Seeds, Dow AgroSciences, Farm Credit Corporation, Gates Fertilizers, Gustafson, K-9 Seeds, Lipha Tech, MicroBio RhizoGen, Moker & Thompson Implements, Naber Seeds, Novartis, PFRA, Philom Bios, Rhone-Poulenc, Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food, Saskatchewan Wheat Pool, SeCan, Silhouette Seeds, Value Added Seeds, Walker Seeds, Westco, Zeneca Agro and neighbours of the CLC.The CLC very much values project funding from the Canada-Saskatchewan Agri-Food Innovation Agreement (AFIF) and the Canadian Adaptation and Rural Development Saskatchewan (CARDS) program.