The phones in Alberta farmhouses will be ringing later this month as a survey gets underway on behalf of Alberta crop commissions.
The Alberta Barley, Alberta Canola Producers, Alberta Pulse Growers and Alberta Wheat commissions want to learn more about their members’ sustainability and best management practices so they’ve commissioned a survey through Ipsos Reid.
Jolene Noble, extension co-ordinator for the commissions’ new Farm Sustainability Working Group, said the goal is to survey 400 farmers across the province about such things as water, fertilizer and manure management, soil health, and their knowledge about various provincial regulations and international standards, among other queries.
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“The bulk of it will be on the environmental side just because there seem to be more questions around that,” said Noble.
Though the survey questions were still being finalized June 3, Noble said she expects it to take about 25 minutes to complete.
“What we’re doing with this survey is identifying areas where there is a lack of awareness or knowledge and doing some extension in those areas, but also looking at where there’s opportunities for Albertans to further improve in the crop sector on sustainability.
“We already do know anecdotally how Alberta producers are doing a very good job so we’ll also be able to quantify that.”
Noble said survey results are expected to be known by the end of this summer, after which extension materials will be prepared to address any identified gaps in knowledge and practice.
The survey is key to a larger project, funded by the commissions and by Growing Forward 2, that will last until Jan. 1, 2018.
The goal is to keep the Alberta crop sector at the top of its game, said Noble, and improve how Alberta crops are marketed in the future.
“We really hope that growers will take the time out of their busy days (to answer the survey.) The results are going to be really important.”
