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OCTOBER 2017 • COUNTRY LIFE IN BC Peace harvest underway after late start


Pest pressure low in a bright spot for grain producers


by MYRNA STARK LEADER FORT ST. JOHN – A


shortened growing season due to wet weather and later seeding means harvest in the Peace is at varied stages. “It’s been a very


challenging year across BC,” says Talon Gauthier, general manager of the Peace Region Forage Seed Association, which has just under 1,000 members in BC and Alberta. “2016, we were in a


drought and then we flooded. 2017 has been the opposite.” Talon says it was a good


year in the Peace for those with forage crops. The region is the second-largest forage seed producer in North America after Oregon. By early September, fescue, timothy and bromes were harvested. Desiccation and cover cropping will begin soon. Gauthier has heard of


fescue crops yielding 800 to 1,000 pounds per acre this year, compared to a more typical 1,000 pounds over two years.


Although timothy yields


were good, they haven’t been as good for pocketbook. Prices farmers are selling seed to the processors for are still low – around 30 cents per pound – due to oversupply. “On the other hand,


markets are good for brome grass,” she explains. Gauthier says one of her curiosities is how many people seeded forage in BC and Alberta because they can be seeded later. She doesn’t have numbers but it may impact future prices. As for moisture conditions heading into fall, a little rain may be okay now but wet snow or spring moisture is more desirable.


Trials (and tribulations) BC Grain Producers


Association general manager Sharla Pearce ran the association’s research arm this year as the organization sought a new director. She is pleased with harvest research this year, considering spring conditions meant only one of the association’s two research farms were planted. Dawson Creek was too wet so all one- off trials were seeded at Fort St. John. The exception was one cold-tolerant trial. It was shelved because the soil temperature was too warm by the time they were in the field. “We were just happy to get something in the ground this year after last year,” Pearce says.


The farms were 100% planted last year but a lot was


left in the field. “Last year was the first year


that we weren’t able to get everything off the field in the history of our research and this year was the first year since we’ve been running both farms that we were only able to plant one farm.” Even with one farm, they


were 75% planted with 49 trials and about 3,400 treatment plots. This is about average even though some duplicate trials could not be completed. She predicts harvst to be complete by September 24 if the weather co-operates. Results for canola should be available by mid-November, with others following. “2017 has been another anomaly with lower acreages but high yields. We have a plot with 40 pounds per bushel oats,” she explains with enthusiasm. “And, we have taken off a some plots a little green because I am gun shy after last year. It will be interesting to see what it comes in as after it dries down.”


Extremes


Rick Kantz, president of the BC Grain Producers Association with more than 25 years of production experience, describes the last couple of years as extreme. “Last fall, I’ve never seen a fall that wet and this spring, I’ve never seen a spring this wet,” he says from his farm north of Fort St. John where harvest is about two weeks late due primarily to the late start. “We just got started harvesting with lots of canola being swathed right now,” he says. “I’d say about 50% of canola is swathed in this area.” He estimates 20% of grain was still in the field last spring and it had to be harvested before planting the 2017 crop. Another 25% wasn’t planted in the Peace this year due to moisture. “We didn’t get started seeding until the 22 or 23 of May,” he comments. Last year, his harvest was completed September 30,with four hours to spare before the early snow. He hopes it’s different this year. Crops are looking good, if late. Canola and wheat are still green. The enemy now is a heavy frost for a few hours that could strike at any time. “We had frost in the low


areas. The odd person has seen -2° or -3° [Celsius] already but not for extended periods,” says Kantz. “We’re swathing canola now that’s got barely any colour change – just starting to get colour in the


11


Harvesting oats at North Peace research farm at Fort St. John in September. SHARLA PEARCE/BCGPA PHOTO


seed – so we’re going to be losing yield there for sure but once it’s swathed, a little frost is okay. It helps break down the plants and is easier to put through the harvester.” He says it’s still too early to guess if the crops of mostly canola, wheat and some barley will make it to the bin.


The upside to the season was limited pest pressure. “There was a couple of


outbreaks of diamondback [moths] on the canola and a bit of leaf thrust in the wheat. We didn’t have hardly any counts of grasshoppers,” he says. “We didn’t have a hot summer. We’d have a couple


hot days and then have a half or an inch of rain.” “We might see a bit more swathing and desiccation this year,” says Kantz. “But there is maybe 5% of the wheat off today. … We’re just gearing up at this point and we’re hoping harvest is done before that first snow sticks around.”


BRITISH COLUMBIA


Return your unwanted or obsolete


pesticides and livestock medications Farmers: safely dispose of your unwanted agricultural pesticides and livestock medications on select dates from October 3–19, 2017, at one of the following locations, for no charge:


VICTORIA Tues Oct 3


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DELTA Tues Oct 10 and Wed Oct 11 Crop Production Services Evergro


7430 Hopcott Road 604-940-0290


DUNCAN Wed Oct 4 Bings Creek Recycling Centre 3900 Drinkwater Road 250-746-2540


ABBOTSFORD Tues Oct 17 and Wed Oct 18 Univar Agriculture 3256 McCallum Road 604-859-4919


COURTENAY Thurs Oct 5 Comox Valley Waste Management Centre 3699 Bevan Road Cumberland 250-334-6000


PEMBERTON Thurs Oct 19


Squamish-Lilloett Regional District - Transfer Station 1947 Carpenter Road 604-894-6371 x236


Note: Obsolete pesticides and livestock medications will only be accepted from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. at each site on the dates indicated. PARTNERS


For more information: 1-877-622-4460


cleanfarms.ca


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