source: Farm and Food Report
He is animated with the kind of passion one would expect from any leader, one who lives by the principles he hopes to see in others. He is the kind of individual whose questions are motivated by the simple quest for solutions.
Naicam's Germain Dauk didn't start out as a farmer, but that hasn't stopped him from gaining respect from his peers as a farmer later in life.
"I was a school teacher who had always wanted to be a farmer. After my father passed away in 1984, I reinvented myself; quit teaching and sought guidance from my father-in-law who had a small farm at the time. I bought some land and started farming. I had much to learn, so I joined every agricultural group I could think of. I had the luxury of asking questions such as: why do we summerfallow? Nobody could give me a straight answer until I started talking to proponents of direct seeding."
It seems Dauk's efforts have paid off. He and his family were recently recognized as the Saskatchewan Soil Conservation Association's (SSCA) Farm Family of the Year for 2005.
"As we celebrate National Soil Conservation Week from April 18 to 24, it is only fitting that we ask ourselves what legacy we want to leave our grandchildren. We started direct seeding at home in 1990. My oldest son, who is 41 now and was working in oilfields, wasn't convinced this approach would make economic sense at the time."
To keep the peace in the family, Dauk started half direct seeding and half conventional seeding.
"My son did all the combining that fall and he could not believe the difference. It was a relatively dry year, and the yield difference was 25 per cent more in favour of the direct seeded fields. He became so totally convinced of the merits of this approach that I couldn't have talked him into cultivating the land anymore if I had to."
Dauk admits that his initial motivation was more economic in nature than engendered by concerns about soil conservation.
"Sure, I have seen fields blow and soil fly away, but soil conservation has to make economic sense for it to work for producers in the long-term. In the end, you have to decide what system best fits your approach to life and your conscience. Organic farming does not resonate in the same way for me because of what I would describe as the excess tillage it generates. I would love nothing better than to see organic agriculture be successful, but I don't think we are quite there yet."
The Dauks were among the first agricultural producers to adopt direct seeding in the Naicam area. Apparently, neighbours wondered for the longest time if the family was actually working these fields, as there was no visible evidence of seeding activities. Of course, all that changed when the seed germinated.
"I find that we use less chemicals than we did under conventional tillage. Some glyphosate takes care of thistle and quackgrass, so we don't have to use more expensive herbicides later on. A good burn off in the spring will take care of things for us. We also find that we achieve substantial savings on fuel because we do all our seeding work in one pass as a result of direct seeding. Energy conservation may not have been such an issue 20 years ago, but it sure is now."
Dauk willingly spends many hours spreading the direct seeding gospel to anyone seeking guidance on the phone, in person and at meetings. Both he and his son Richard are former presenters at SSCA events. Dauk senior even presented at Alberta's annual soil conservation conference.
The two literally spend hours sharing with others their direct seeding experiences, and it now appears that soil conservation is first and foremost in their minds.
For more information, contact:
Germain Dauk
(306) 874-2006
He is animated with the kind of passion one would expect from any leader, one who lives by the principles he hopes to see in others. He is the kind of individual whose questions are motivated by the simple quest for solutions.
Naicam's Germain Dauk didn't start out as a farmer, but that hasn't stopped him from gaining respect from his peers as a farmer later in life.
"I was a school teacher who had always wanted to be a farmer. After my father passed away in 1984, I reinvented myself; quit teaching and sought guidance from my father-in-law who had a small farm at the time. I bought some land and started farming. I had much to learn, so I joined every agricultural group I could think of. I had the luxury of asking questions such as: why do we summerfallow? Nobody could give me a straight answer until I started talking to proponents of direct seeding."
It seems Dauk's efforts have paid off. He and his family were recently recognized as the Saskatchewan Soil Conservation Association's (SSCA) Farm Family of the Year for 2005.
"As we celebrate National Soil Conservation Week from April 18 to 24, it is only fitting that we ask ourselves what legacy we want to leave our grandchildren. We started direct seeding at home in 1990. My oldest son, who is 41 now and was working in oilfields, wasn't convinced this approach would make economic sense at the time."
To keep the peace in the family, Dauk started half direct seeding and half conventional seeding.
"My son did all the combining that fall and he could not believe the difference. It was a relatively dry year, and the yield difference was 25 per cent more in favour of the direct seeded fields. He became so totally convinced of the merits of this approach that I couldn't have talked him into cultivating the land anymore if I had to."
Dauk admits that his initial motivation was more economic in nature than engendered by concerns about soil conservation.
"Sure, I have seen fields blow and soil fly away, but soil conservation has to make economic sense for it to work for producers in the long-term. In the end, you have to decide what system best fits your approach to life and your conscience. Organic farming does not resonate in the same way for me because of what I would describe as the excess tillage it generates. I would love nothing better than to see organic agriculture be successful, but I don't think we are quite there yet."
The Dauks were among the first agricultural producers to adopt direct seeding in the Naicam area. Apparently, neighbours wondered for the longest time if the family was actually working these fields, as there was no visible evidence of seeding activities. Of course, all that changed when the seed germinated.
"I find that we use less chemicals than we did under conventional tillage. Some glyphosate takes care of thistle and quackgrass, so we don't have to use more expensive herbicides later on. A good burn off in the spring will take care of things for us. We also find that we achieve substantial savings on fuel because we do all our seeding work in one pass as a result of direct seeding. Energy conservation may not have been such an issue 20 years ago, but it sure is now."
Dauk willingly spends many hours spreading the direct seeding gospel to anyone seeking guidance on the phone, in person and at meetings. Both he and his son Richard are former presenters at SSCA events. Dauk senior even presented at Alberta's annual soil conservation conference.
The two literally spend hours sharing with others their direct seeding experiences, and it now appears that soil conservation is first and foremost in their minds.
For more information, contact:
Germain Dauk
(306) 874-2006
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