Working into the evening for harvest

Our students are back to school but work continues at Farming Smarter

Like many growers, we’re well into the 2024 harvest season with nothing but work on the horizon. With only 30 of the 155 total trials left, our field crews are all over southern Alberta completing the remaining research trials. Thankfully, they’ll have some help as Lethbridge Polytechnic students make a field trip to help harvest hemp and potatoes and help with rolling grading. 

Along with harvest, crews prepare to get fall trials in the ground before frost. Our Agronomy Team alone has three separate Saving Soils projects to seed this fall, along with a brand new project to put in the ground!

Building off our previous Tillage and Seeding Systems for Canola project, we will investigate fertilizer efficacy options in strip tilled canola. The first step of this project is fall banding fertilizer and strip tilling.

Other duties on the docket this fall include soil sampling, staking, and establishing pathways for the upcoming season. Field Operations lead, Carlo Van Herk, is the vanguard of these tasks and the mind behind the plan. He works with the field teams to coordinate equipment and labour to ensure all crops get harvested on time and nothing is missed. This helps him get an early start on one of his most important off-season tasks: creating a map of trials at each location come April.

Meanwhile, office staff create the foundation for a successful 2025 

Thierry Fonville, resident Research Scientist, diligently reviews data with team leads while writing grant applications for new projects that continue interesting research avenues or breaks ground on more innovation. With 150 trials to review, this keeps the coffee pot brewing up fresh pots!

Executive Director, Ken Coles, keeps busy helping Thierry, the team leads and the extension team get things done. Forever an advocate for crop producers, value-added and Farming Smarter, if he’s not in the office, he’s out speaking with decision-makers!

The Knowledge & Network

has a selection of interesting and exciting learning opportunities for you this fall. Team lead Jamie Puchinger will take 20 farmers on a Brazil Technical Tour to learn about farming systems and facilities in Brazil. Reach out to Jamie if you're interested in sponsoring this learning journey and sending your logo to South America!

Or if you're interested in something more local, our Conservation Agronomist, Ashley Wagenaar, has two events covering everything about fall post-potato cover crops in Taber and Coaldale, October 8 & October 10, respectively. Keep an eye out for more details!

By the end of October, you can catch up on research in the fall edition of the Farming Smarter Magazine. It goes out with Alberta Farmer Express and to the mailboxes of all Agronomy Smarts subscribers October 28! 

Don’t forget to register for early bird pricing for our Global Crop Production Virtual Conference, December 11. Learn from experts across the world on how you can set yourself up for success come spring, and network with about 60 other participants. All from the comfort of your home and office. Don’t wait - buy your tickets today!