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.
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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!  A little help from Tom and the John Deere to get the truck in position for loading; Loading wheat onto the truck; And off to market! Thanks to John of Bickner Trucking Ltd. 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:
 It's tough to protect when she can't see, but she does her best!  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. 
The acres that were cropped last summer have far more weeds than the newly cultivated land (as above).
This spring, we seeded 177 acres to Red Spring Wheat. This variety of wheat is the most common used in breads and baking. So far crops looks good. Main weeds are dandelions, volunteer alfalfa, and quack grass. The wheat will out-grow all of these once it gets a good start. Wheat on the fields planted first are already poking thru the ground.
2017 Soil Nutrient Program This spring we increased the nutrients delivered to the soil:
 Jim Staples of Moonwalker Spraying
 First truck leaving the yard.
 Spelt shipped .... check ....... Excellent results in 2016. Now planning crops and soil nutrients for 2017. * Of course, the Spelt need to be de-hulled, so the final tally will be less than 50 bu/ac, but non the less, we are pleasantly surprized!!  Ted's Auto & Custom Combining getting 'er done. Excellent work!  Unloading the combine  Unloading the truck
 Spelt from the combine (needs to be de-hulled)  Moving the auger AGAIN!!  WELL DONE!! |
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Rusk Ranch is located near the middle of Canada in the Swan River Valley agricultural belt. The acreage is surrounded by conventional chemical farms. It is hoped that this adventure will de-risk other farms towards environmentally sound farming practices that produce healthy nutrient dense corps! Archives
August 2018
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