The spring of 2018 was very dry. The first rain of the season came on May 24th (one inch or 25 mm). Before working (cultivating) the ground, there was not much volunteer growth (weeds nor last year’s crop). Seeding finished on May 21st. The first rain of the season on May 24th was very timely for the wheat, but also brought the weeds to life. Since both the wheat and the weeds had the same start, the race for dominance was on.
To knock back the weeds and ultimately assist the wheat, we harrowed the fields with diamond harrows on June 17 – 19th when the wheat was about 8 inches high. And it worked ...... even though the wheat was roughed up and set back a bit, the annual weeds definitely suffered, leaving the wheat to grow. The harrowing was followed by a timely rain on June 22nd (2/10 inch or 5 mm). This year 160 acres were seeded to Red Spring Wheat. Seeding took place from May 17 - 21, 2018
Thanks to Jim Staples of Moon Walker Spraying Spray mixture consisted of:
GSR Calcium* 45 grams (1.6 ounces) per acre Organic Cane Sugar* 3.7 pounds per acre Organic Molasses* 1.3 gallons per acre Micronized Softrock Phosphate* 4.9 pounds per acre Fish Emulsion* 3.1 gallons per acre All was mixed with water and sprayed at a total rate of 18.5 gallons per acre. The fish emulsion is quite stinky, and by the end of the day, everyone smelt like fish. hahaha * product supplied by Back To Your Roots Soil Solutions Inc. Since this wheat has a very high germination rate, it will be used in the bread making process as sprouted grains! So happy to be feeding folks with healthy chemcial-free organically grown FOOD!
3500 bushels of grain in the bins! The wheat was combined a bit tough (high moisture content), so we now have the grain under aeration to bring the moisture levels down for market and storage without spoilage.
The wheat heads have popped up above most weeds, except Canada Thistle and wild oats.
In regards to BRIX:
In most areas, wheat is now "heads above" the weeds. The wheat looks to be 4 row this year, and BRIX readings continue to register 7 - 8%, providing fungus resistance and a reasonable deterrent to insect pests . Lets Talk BRIX Canada Thistle forms one of these weed colonies. Typically, Canada Thistle is a tough weed to discourage from growing. Upon a closer inspection of these colonies, there are worms that have taken up residence on over half the thistle plants and are eating them. In terms of BRIX, the readings for the Wheat are around 10%. The thistles (and most other weeds) are 5%. The insects (worms in this case) are doing their job in devouring the lower BRIX plants. Go worms go! Hopefully these worms weaken the thistle colonies enough that they disappear. WILD OATS - There are few wild oat plants. BRIX of these are 11%, and from visual inspection, it appears wild life are selectively eating these plants first. Wild Life Probably the most damaging form of wild life here are the elk. Hopefully, they leave some wheat to harvest ......... or at least eat all the wild oats.
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Rusk Ranch is located near the middle of Canada in the Swan River Valley agricultural belt. This beautiful acreage is totally surrounded by conventional chemical farms. It is hoped that the information supplied here will aid farmers and gardeners to grow nutrient dense crops in a sustainable manner which is in harmony with Mother Earth!! Archives
June 2022
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