Farmers Weekly

GM Crops? We All Love ’Em!

The two very wet years of 1996 and 1997 have meant that weeds on our and many other farms in the area are close to becoming out of control. Four of our worst weeds -- Canada thistle, sow thistle, wild oats and couch -- are easily controlled by Roundup but timing can be difficult if crops are to be seeded before the spring crop-insurance deadlines. Pre-harvest spraying is often impossible because the ground is too wet for narrow wheels; post-harvest treatment is dfficult when harvesting is late and early frost are due.

Roundup-Ready Canola (RRC) is now readily available here and farmers are advised to seed as early as possible. Last year the only variety of RRC available was Argentine, which needs a longer growing season and has to be in by May 10 to be covered by crop insurance. However, this spring Roundup-Ready Polish canola, which can be drilled up to June 5 and matures three weeks earlier, should be available.

The first application of Roundup at 1.2 litres/ha is made when the crop is all through to catch the early weeds. The second one is made before boiling, also at half rate, to get the rest of the weeds.

In 1998 I seeded 240ha (600 acres), half my acreage, to Argentine canola. Planting was finished on May 10 and I sprayed just once with 1.6 litres/ha and had excellent results. Roundup sprayed at full rate (2.5 litres/ha) costs about £10/ha (£4/acrea) here.

Dockage this harvest has also been very low -- perhaps 2-5% compared to up to 15% some years. The land is also in much better shape for the following wheat crop, or whatever.

For the fist time last year I had to spray the crop at late flowering against lygus bugs (greenfly), which can knock yields back by 50%. Just about the whole of this area was sprayed and planes had to be brought in from Saskatchewan and Alberta to cope with the demand. Ground crews were working flat-out too.

Luckily I have the Hardi sprayer I brought over from England when I emigrated here seven years ago. I use it with a 1967 John Deere 4020 tractor with a tarpaulin strapped underneath to minimise crop damage.

A good crop of canola here will yield 2t/ha (0.8t/acre) and better farmers on good land with adequate moisture may get 2.5t/ha (1t/acre) or more. Our land is classified as grade 3-4 so I shall be happy to get a crop of 1.7t/ha (0.7t/acre) which at $8-8.50/bu (£110-117/t) will pay well.

It certainly pays better than wheat, which usually yields 2.8t/ha (1.2t/acre) here and fetches $4.5/bu (£64/t) if you are lucky. Or barley at 3.7t/ha (1.5t/acre) and $2/bu (£35/t).

We do need a break this year from our extreme weather to get back on top of our finances and get the banks and other creditors off our backs. But to give the latter their due, they have been very lenient and fair these last two years. Farming is a big business in western Canada and we're here for the long haul.

Coming from England, farming here can be by turns very rewarding and very discouraging. Take the weather; -40C (-40F) is not uncommon in winter and 30-33C (86-91F) not unusual in the summer. Further south towards Vancouver, they sometimes have summer temperatures of 40C (104F). Our average summer rainfall is 305mm (12in). In summer 1997 we had more than 508mm (20in) of rain; this last year just 110mm (4.5in) fell between Apr 1 and Aug 7. However, good subsoil moisture meant that most crops made it through the very dry summer. But on the bright side, it looks like Roundup-Ready Canola will transform the way we farm and perhaps make us more profitable.