Albadon Progressive Ag Ltd. Teeswater, ON

Transcription

1 Albadon Progressive Ag Ltd. Teeswater, ON

2 Background Decades of dairy excellence Gradual growth and diversification into crops Cash Crops: Corn, soys, wheat, edible beans, alfalfa, cereal forage Cover Crops: Alfalfa, wheat, oats, peas, barley, annual rye grass, sunflowers, red clover, cereal rye, radish, turnip, canola, etc

3 Motivation Next generation is keen Do the right thing

4 Time for an attitude change

5 Soil Health History Alfalfa No-Till beans since mid 2000 s Strip till since 2012 Cover Crops since 2013 Leave manure on top

6 Benefits for me Water Infiltration Erosion Drought tolerance. Compaction fighting Increase OM Reduce nutrient loss

7 Economics Direct Revenue Soy after cereal Rye 1-6 bushel Corn after clover 60lb N credit Corn after multi species? Soy after annual rye?

8 Economics Edible beans 2017 Agricorp avg yield 1375 lb Strip into Rye = 1700 lb

9 Economics Cereal Rye as Forage 100 lb seeding rate No till into corn silage ground 50lb map 4000 gallon dairy Cost per acre to establish = $150 Yield = 2.2 Tonne Dry matter = $220 / acre Break even after harvest cost

10 Economics Indirect Revenue / savings Reduction in Chemical - $20 No ruts / reduced tillage - $22 Compaction reduction - $22 Nutrient cycling - $15 Moisture management - $20

11 Economics Control Costs Broadcast Low cost drill Less expensive labour Low seed rates Incorporate a fertilizer pass with seed

12 Economics Custom strip till Adam Ireland Teeswater Veldale Farms Oxford Centre Holmes Agro Orangeville/Stayner South West Ag Partners Chatham Kent Alan Wood Komoka VanQuaethem Farms Tillsonburg Jake Kraayenbrink Arthur Drew Sharp Enniskillen Mike Strang Exeter Brian Smith Arthur Mac Ferguson St. Thomas

13 Things I am working on Fertilizer in the pass MAP to assist in establishment

14 Things I am working on Compaction is a HUGE deal. It s the biggest.

15 Things I am working on Terminating covers Annual Rye can be tricky DO NOT LET WEEDS GO Fall or Spring?

16 Contact me, I m happy to discuss ideas Adam adamireland@me.com

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18 BELAN FARMS Mike Oil Springs ON

19 Who We Are 4 th Generation family farm Started 100% No-Till in crop rotation Custom farming operation Started cover cropping in 2014 Planting green in 2015

20 Our Focus Healthy soils will provide a positive net return to our farm Farm with a systems approach Consistent crop rotation that promotes diversity for the soil Farming with a long term approach making smaller gains every year

21 Cover Crop Goals Improve soil structure Increase water holding capacity Increase water infiltration rates Protect against weather extremes Feed beneficial mycorrhizal fungi and bacteria Build soil organic matter Convert free solar energy to the soil where it s used by diverse microbial populations to promote soil fertility

22 Things we are observing

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26 Our Management with Cover Crops 100% No Till Reducing compaction As needed weed management altering our spray programs, crop rotation Cover crops with a purpose -- strategic/systems approach to planning Drilling in cover crops for fast and strong establishment Plant cover crops ASAP for maximum growth potential and soil health impact Planting green as much as possible Treat cover crops with as much importance as your cash crops

27 After Wheat

28 After Wheat Before Corn Goals Opportunity for diversity for soil life Build SOM Nutrient absorption Provide nitrogen for next years corn crop Keep soils covered for winter Feed the soil biology for the winter Collect the Suns energy Feed the above ground livestock new venture FUN TO GROW! Only spend $20/ac or less

29 Inter seed into Corn

30 Inter seeding into standing corn

31 Inter seeding into standing corn

32 Planting Green

33 Planting Green

34 Planting Green

35 Practice what we preach

36 Steps to reduce our input costs

37 Plant Available Nitrogen from Hairy Vetch 2700 lbs/acre hairy vetch (dry) Terminated at planting May 20, 2017 Pre-Bloom Estimated N Fertilizer Value: lbs/acre

38 Corn Yield 15.5% moisture) Response to Nitrogen starter only our normal rate non-limiting rate Nitrogen Rate (lbs/acre)

39 Response to N & ROI 300 $3,000 Yield 250 $2, Diminishing returns from this N rate onward $2,000 $1,500 $1,000 N Cost Gross Return $500 $0 Partial Budget Net Return

40 Lessons Learned Start small and simple Understand the principles of cover crops Always be prepared and ready to plant the cover crop Have a plan B for planting and terminating Select cover crops to fit your operation and have an end goal Patience K.I.S.S

41 What s Next for our Farm With Cover Crops Grazing cover crops Using cover crops to improve soil health to help lesson the need for more inputs think ROI/Ac instead of Bu/Ac Diversify with cover crops

42 Closing Question Cover crops and soil health are not new farming practices So how do we make farming with a soil health first approach our main focus?

43 @mikebelan3

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