Controlling Weeds in Organic Field Production By Peter Boettcher for Wecker Farms Ltd. July 2017

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Agnes Eaton
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1 Controlling Weeds in Organic Field Production By Peter Boettcher for Wecker Farms Ltd. July 2017

2 Introduction Weed control for organic farms is a significant challenge as weed populations contribute to yield loss. One option of weed control in organic systems is mechanical. This report documents the use of two types mechanical weed control systems. An inter-row cultivator and tine harrow made by Einböck are used to manage weeds in pea/oat crop. The purpose is to demonstrate which form of mechanical weed control is more effective and how individual weed species respond to each type of weed control. Field Information Location: Sedley, SK Farm Name: Wecker Farms Ltd Field size and seeded area: 630 acres Current crop: Oats and peas Row Spacing: 10 inch (25 cm) Equipment used for weed control Einböck AEROSTAR-ROTATION harrow (60ft) Einböck CHOPSTAR row hoe, inter-row cultivator (60ft) Important Dates Seeding Initial weed count Post harrow/inter-row cultivation weed count Rotation harrow use Chopstar row hoe use May 7th July 5th July 10th July 5th July 6th Weather Time Precipitation Wind Temperature Winter 2016/17 Below average Average About average snowfall April Some snow Average Below average May No precipitation 25 days of 40+ About average km/hr wind June 48 mm rain Above average About average wind July No precipitation Average wind Above average

3 Agronomic History Current crop: Oats and Peas Seeding Method: John Deere 1890 single disc no-till air drill (60ft) Crop Stage and Height Oats: 4 5 leaves Peas: 3 4 leaves Previous crops: 2015 Barley 2016 Lentils Fertilizer applied: pre-seeding Super Sulfur Plus (70 lbs/acre) Herbicides/Fungicides/Insecticides None applied in last two years Soil Properties Heavy clay soil Humic Vertisol. Great water holding capacity, Field Shape and Inspection Sites 1 mile by 1 mile Inspection Site 1 Inspection Site 2 Inspection Site 3 Middle of field close to front headlands Middle of field and halfway across Middle of field and close to rear headlands Survey Results Weed counts were made in three separate areas of the field before the equipment was used. After cultivating and harrowing, weed counts were also performed at three different sites for each machine, close to the areas of the initial counts.

Additional Comments At this crop stage, the inter-row cultivator got better overall weed control than the rotation harrow. It was also gentler to the crop itself.

4 Additional Comments At this crop stage, the inter-row cultivator got better overall weed control than the rotation harrow. It was also gentler to the crop itself. However, due to the nature of the plant, the rotation harrow got slightly better control on lamb s quarters. A combination of the two machines would have provided the best results without damaging the crop beyond an economic threshold. Doing this trial was important to our farming operation because we have just recently become certified organic and are still in the process of transitioning more acres. Being that we are in the early stages of organic, we face significant weed pressure in our fields. Without the use of chemical intervention, we knew we had to look for alternate methods of weed control. When we learned of the technology available on the Einbock equipment we were quite excited about the possibilities of their use in our operation. This trial helped us demonstrate and quantify the weed control of each machine. Through this trial we learned that mechanical weed control is a viable option for organic farms. The technology is advancing as demonstrated by these two machines. They will continue to be used in our farm s organic grain production. The only challenge we faced with the trial was environmental. This year was extremely dry on our farm and therefore we weren t seeing much growth of the crop or weeds in the spring. Once we received a rain in June and everything began growing we were able to proceed with the trial. In July we held a field day in conjunction with TransCanada Organic Certification and SaskOgranics. Participants arrived by bus to our farm and were able to see both machines as well as the plots. This event was well received, people enjoyed the hands on tour and learning how mechanical weed control can benefit organic grain production. Photographs