New varieties: December 2010 Archives
It's nearly a new year, meaning that right now several people are swearing off cigarettes and fast food and promising themselves to finally lose weight and get active. I'm all for personal goal setting (no matter how fleeting the commitment may be), but I also believe that our professional life could benefit from some New Year's resolutions, too.
And so, I give you, in true Grainews fashion — The Top Five Things You Should Do On
Your Farm This Year (the title could use a little work, I admit).
1. Re-evaluate your seeding rate on all crops. Canola seed differs greatly in size from variety to variety. A poor growing year for cereals can mean smaller, lighter seeds. If you're still seeding by a set bushels or pounds per acre, you could be hamstringing your crop. Instead, use thousand kernel weight for each seed lot, factor in germ and vigour and target a plant stand density. For more on this, watch upcoming issues of Grainews. We'll be talking a lot about this.
2. Change one practice on your farm. Try a new variety, research and implement a new row spacing, fertilizer blend or opener. Soil test, treat seed or use a fungicide. But don't forget to...
3. Leave a test strip. How do you really know if something makes or saves you money or improves grade or yield if you leave no comparison? Try a 20 or 40 acre piece when evaluating a new variety, leave at least one strip at the lower fertilizer rate or leave one pass fungicide-free and evaluate the difference. One pass that suffers yield is not going to break the bank, but it may prove that your money was well spent, and vice versa.
4. Learn a new marketing skill. No one says you need to become a stock broker, but if you don't use production contracts, buy futures or watch the basis, you may be leaving money on the table. Choose one thing — identity-preserved production, for example — and do some homework. You may still decide it's not for your farm, but at least give it some thought.
5. Practice farm safety. It only takes a second to don protective eye wear, turn off equipment or mark stairways and exits in a shop. A 20 minute cat nap can mean the difference between a safe ride home or a car wreck. Take five minutes and learn CPR. All of these things could save your eyesight, your arm or even your life.
Happy New Year, everyone!
And so, I give you, in true Grainews fashion — The Top Five Things You Should Do On
Your Farm This Year (the title could use a little work, I admit).
1. Re-evaluate your seeding rate on all crops. Canola seed differs greatly in size from variety to variety. A poor growing year for cereals can mean smaller, lighter seeds. If you're still seeding by a set bushels or pounds per acre, you could be hamstringing your crop. Instead, use thousand kernel weight for each seed lot, factor in germ and vigour and target a plant stand density. For more on this, watch upcoming issues of Grainews. We'll be talking a lot about this.
2. Change one practice on your farm. Try a new variety, research and implement a new row spacing, fertilizer blend or opener. Soil test, treat seed or use a fungicide. But don't forget to...
3. Leave a test strip. How do you really know if something makes or saves you money or improves grade or yield if you leave no comparison? Try a 20 or 40 acre piece when evaluating a new variety, leave at least one strip at the lower fertilizer rate or leave one pass fungicide-free and evaluate the difference. One pass that suffers yield is not going to break the bank, but it may prove that your money was well spent, and vice versa.
4. Learn a new marketing skill. No one says you need to become a stock broker, but if you don't use production contracts, buy futures or watch the basis, you may be leaving money on the table. Choose one thing — identity-preserved production, for example — and do some homework. You may still decide it's not for your farm, but at least give it some thought.
5. Practice farm safety. It only takes a second to don protective eye wear, turn off equipment or mark stairways and exits in a shop. A 20 minute cat nap can mean the difference between a safe ride home or a car wreck. Take five minutes and learn CPR. All of these things could save your eyesight, your arm or even your life.
Happy New Year, everyone!
Profile
Grainews editor Lyndsey Smith answers readers' questions, asks her own and, now and then, discusses what's new and interesting in western Canadian production agriculture.
