source: Farm and Food Report
The 2005 edition of the Saskatchewan Soil Conservation Association’s Direct Seeding Conference takes place in Saskatoon on February 15th and 16th.
Organizers have picked “Management Practices for the Future” as this year’s theme, because of the increasing popularity of direct seeding, according to Edgar Hammermeister, one SSCA’s Directors.
“Fifty per cent of acres seeded in Saskatchewan are direct seeded now,” says Hammermeister. “As a producer, I personally find that if you can manage your soil properly and even out the productivity of a field so that it holds moisture longer — and you become less dependent on the timing of a rain — you have a wider window of a few extra days. The long-term direct seeders are finding that their long-term yield averages are more stabilized. We all learn lessons and they indicate a need to address soil management with a view to the future.”
Hammermeister and his colleagues have whipped up a full program that features sessions about fertility effects on crop and weed competition, weed control strategies, and crop rotations. Some sessions address direct seeding issues and opportunities for advanced practitioners, as well as the benefits of adopting a systems approach to low input crop production. Other sessions target novice direct seeders’ needs.
There will be special emphasis this year on the forages and livestock angles in terms of direct seeding opportunities for forage crops, but also on rejuvenation/re-establishment of forage stands and rotational grazing practices.
“We will also feature a bear pit session which will be more of a producer-to-producer opportunity on topics like how to start direct seeding; integrated pest management; and how one controls weeds with crop rotations,” Hammermeister says. “Of course, we are always looking for ways to reduce pesticide inputs to address our insect challenges. Fertility management is also on the program, and something else: new developments on the carbon credits front.”
Hammermeister recognizes that carbon credits are more of a political issue, but it is one the SCCA has steadily been working on for eight years now, and on which producers are seeing some progress.
“We are getting a sense that decision-makers are starting to see where agriculture can fit in meeting Canada’s Kyoto commitments. Farmers own the carbon credits. Canada has a huge commitment to Kyoto: 240,000,000 tons of emission reductions that it has to meet. If the farmers are treated fairly, they can provide at least 20 per cent, possibly a lot more of that solution. Direct seeding is the quickest way to increase carbon storage in the soil by increasing organic matter. So it is a fit through agronomy.”
In the meantime, Hammermeister points that the impact of direct seeding on the environment is already quite visible, especially during droughts.
“If you remember back in 1988, we had some serious dust storms. The land was moving. Now the drought we had a few years ago, we didn’t have any significant dust storms as a result. The land was staying put and that topsoil has a tremendous value. It is hard to put a monetary value on it — perhaps it is a priceless resource. When a farmer can maintain production by keeping the soil on his own place, it benefits anyone.”
The Saskatchewan Soil Conservation Association is made up agricultural producers, but it welcomes anyone with an interest in direct seeding to its AGM and Conference. To find out more, or to register, visit: http://ssca.usask.ca/
For more information, contact:
Edgar Hammermeister, P.Ag.
Saskatchewan Soil Conservation Association
(306) 489-2281
The 2005 edition of the Saskatchewan Soil Conservation Association’s Direct Seeding Conference takes place in Saskatoon on February 15th and 16th.
Organizers have picked “Management Practices for the Future” as this year’s theme, because of the increasing popularity of direct seeding, according to Edgar Hammermeister, one SSCA’s Directors.
“Fifty per cent of acres seeded in Saskatchewan are direct seeded now,” says Hammermeister. “As a producer, I personally find that if you can manage your soil properly and even out the productivity of a field so that it holds moisture longer — and you become less dependent on the timing of a rain — you have a wider window of a few extra days. The long-term direct seeders are finding that their long-term yield averages are more stabilized. We all learn lessons and they indicate a need to address soil management with a view to the future.”
Hammermeister and his colleagues have whipped up a full program that features sessions about fertility effects on crop and weed competition, weed control strategies, and crop rotations. Some sessions address direct seeding issues and opportunities for advanced practitioners, as well as the benefits of adopting a systems approach to low input crop production. Other sessions target novice direct seeders’ needs.
There will be special emphasis this year on the forages and livestock angles in terms of direct seeding opportunities for forage crops, but also on rejuvenation/re-establishment of forage stands and rotational grazing practices.
“We will also feature a bear pit session which will be more of a producer-to-producer opportunity on topics like how to start direct seeding; integrated pest management; and how one controls weeds with crop rotations,” Hammermeister says. “Of course, we are always looking for ways to reduce pesticide inputs to address our insect challenges. Fertility management is also on the program, and something else: new developments on the carbon credits front.”
Hammermeister recognizes that carbon credits are more of a political issue, but it is one the SCCA has steadily been working on for eight years now, and on which producers are seeing some progress.
“We are getting a sense that decision-makers are starting to see where agriculture can fit in meeting Canada’s Kyoto commitments. Farmers own the carbon credits. Canada has a huge commitment to Kyoto: 240,000,000 tons of emission reductions that it has to meet. If the farmers are treated fairly, they can provide at least 20 per cent, possibly a lot more of that solution. Direct seeding is the quickest way to increase carbon storage in the soil by increasing organic matter. So it is a fit through agronomy.”
In the meantime, Hammermeister points that the impact of direct seeding on the environment is already quite visible, especially during droughts.
“If you remember back in 1988, we had some serious dust storms. The land was moving. Now the drought we had a few years ago, we didn’t have any significant dust storms as a result. The land was staying put and that topsoil has a tremendous value. It is hard to put a monetary value on it — perhaps it is a priceless resource. When a farmer can maintain production by keeping the soil on his own place, it benefits anyone.”
The Saskatchewan Soil Conservation Association is made up agricultural producers, but it welcomes anyone with an interest in direct seeding to its AGM and Conference. To find out more, or to register, visit: http://ssca.usask.ca/
For more information, contact:
Edgar Hammermeister, P.Ag.
Saskatchewan Soil Conservation Association
(306) 489-2281
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