| | There are numerous crop tours, technology tours and research tours held in the summer. At many tours, attendance has been down from last year, but not consistently so. It seems that some tour organizers are missing the point! Farmers do want to look at varieties side-by-side - but only up to a point. Participants' eyes tend to glaze over when the marketing presentation starts up.
"Farmers are interested in learning about new technologies in agriculture," says Nick Underwood, reduced tillage agronomist for the Peace region, Reduced Tillage Linkages. "Progressive farmers want to find out if they can use something different on their farm in a way that improves their margins. I have seen keen interest shown in diverse topics such as direct seeding into fescue sod, export timothy hay production, pasture rotation management, winter cereals, faba beans and agro-forestry, and many others."
During the summer, when the days can be very hot, evening tours may be something to consider, but there can be drawbacks. To help encourage attendance, some summer evening tours have included a supper along with the chance to mix with fellow farmers on a pleasant evening to share ideas on new technologies.
"This year has brought some real challenges. Along with the hot days, the heat damage to canola crops on the west side of the Peace has been huge," says Underwood. "Some canola fields only flowered for three or four days before 34-degree heat shut them down. Variety demonstrations lose their appeal on the tours when producers are experiencing that kind of weather."
The Central Peace Conservation Society (CPCS) had a tour on the July 26, 2006, at Rycroft. It was well attended with 35 people who got to see something different for the Peace Country. Garry Ropchan, CPCS manager, obtained the machinery to make biodiesel from canola on the farm. Although this might not be a viable enterprise for every farm, it certainly is for every small group of farms. Biodiesel has a much greater net life-cycle energy gain than ethanol, plus it reduces greenhouse gases by 41 per cent compared to diesel. Ethanol reduces greenhouse gases 12 per cent compared to gasoline.
Some of the farmers on the tour were very positive and thought that biodiesel could be a workable, value-added idea for their farms. While there may be 'bugs' to work out with on-farm manufacturing of biodiesel, but likely not many. Europeans have been producing biodiesel for a while and it is working.
"There is an opinion that Western Canada needs only one or two huge biodiesel plants," says Underwood. "My question would be, why would farmers want to add the cost of freighting the lower-value seed to such a plant when higher value biodiesel could be made right on the farm?"
Farmers at the CPCS Rycroft tour saw something that could be useful on their farm. Some saw, for the first time, a value-added opportunity that is do-able for them. It is the kind of thing that appeals whether it is hot and dry or cold and wet. That is the kind of thing that draws people to farm tours.
Contact: Nick Underwood (780) 539-4498 |
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