Crop "Up" date

Picture is from AL01 - May 20

The SMF crops are mostly germinated and emerged... We have had some cool weather for May and that has slowed the growth; the wheat and the peas are ahead of the canola.

Seeding dates are as follows: DX01 - May 8, AL01 - May 15, DX02s - May 11, BR06 - May 10, DX03s - May 12

SMF BBQ set

The 2nd yr Croppers will be glad to know that Peter Walsh broke in his gift set of BBQ tools today at the annual School of Ag/Enviro Science year-end BBQ !!! they were the talk of the town... with so many tools and functions he almost needed instructions !!!

Crop Scouting Field Day - June 6, 2008

All first and second year Crop Technology students are invited to attend the annual crop scouting day on June 6, 2008. This is a great opportunity for 2nd students to see how the crop they planned is progressing and for 1st years to see the crop they will be harvesting. For more information contact Peter Walsh at (780) 853-8586. The next day is Lakeland College's convocation so the weekend is sure to be fun.

Seeding Completed on the SMF

Seeding is now done on the SMF farm. Seeding began May 8th with the peas on the DX01 field and ended May 15th with seeding of canola on the AL01 field. The college is also seeding about 33 acres of corn trials for grazing and silage. A small trial of a nutrient primer seed treatment was done on 5 acres of HRS wheat in BR03. Weed growth at the time of seeding was minimal in most fields. Pre-seed spraying was performed as needed. The SMF would like to thank Bob Wilson and Peter Wilkinson for their great job getting our crop in.

Operations Started on the SMF

Compost was applied on the AL01 field on Tuesday, May 6. The compost is part of an faculty mentored student applied research project sponsered by the Alberta Association of Colleges and Technical Institutes. The compost was heavy harrowed and practically disappeared. It should not hinder the seeding of the canola.

The compost was applied in strips and students will use GPS yield maps to measure any yield response. It will interesting to seed if the compost will pay for its cost of application. We will monitor these plots for both the 2008 and 2009 crop years to see if there are any delayed response.

Crop Tech Students' Final SMF Presentation

On April 11, 2008 the SMF students hosted college staff and administration as well as industry representatives and their parents to attend their final SMF presentation. The presentation that lasted nearly 2 hours covered the final tally of the 2007 crop year and the plans for the 2008 crop year. The evening ended with a banquet meal. The SMF reported a profitable 2007 financial statement. The 2008 year will be interesting due to the volitile nature of the current grain markets. The students are planning to grow HRS and CPS wheat, peas and canola on their 850 acre farm. Although there are some final plans to review, the students hosted a very professional evening. They have come a long way in just 2 years!