The fast pace of change in agricultural science can bring out charlatans looking to take advantage of farmers, say agronomists.
Ross McKenzie of Alberta Agriculture says farmers have had to become more reliant on chemical and seed companies and equipment manufacturers “to grow their daily bread.” As a result, producers can also fall prey to those who knowingly, or through the fervour of pseudo-
science or even poor business practices, market ineffective products or services to farmers.
Producers shouldn’t be afraid to ask agronomy experts for their credentials, said McKenzie.
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“A CCA (certified crop adviser) or PAg (professional agrologist) has the training and the regional knowledge necessary to ensure farmers get accurate information that will work on their farms,” said McKenzie.
Adrian Johnson of the Phosphate and Potash Institute said today’s farmers are expected to adopt sustainable environmental practices as well as keep up with the latest methods of crop production.
The industry is moving quickly and it’s hard for producers to know everything about every crop they grow and have the latest information at their fingertips, he said.
That means they must trust others and that is where certified advisers come in.
McKenzie said producers should be wary of agronomists who “make claims for products that they also sell or are making instant, great claims of.”
If it seems too good to be true, it probably is, he said.
Alberta Agriculture received several reports in 2002 of farmers being convinced that their land was devoid of micronutrients, especially zinc. The seller’s recommendation was three pounds to the acre, said McKenzie.
“It went onto thousands of acres. A complete waste of lots of money.”
Most soils in southern Alberta may not need zinc added until the turn of the century, so this was a case of some farmers being convinced to buy and apply something they didn’t need, he said.
“Ask if testing has been done by Ag Canada or the University of Saskatchewan. If producers want to try something, then perform an on-farm trial with a strip test in a field they treat normally.”
McKenzie and Johnson said if a recommendation is out of place with what is normally done in the area, a farmer should get a second opinion.
Johnson said soil sampling should be done to provide a basis for any decision about new or existing practices.
“It’s only done on 15 percent of Saskatchewan farmland. (Soil testing) is more widespread in Alberta and Manitoba, but in those provinces there is also a lot more manure being applied to the land from the intensive livestock production, so it’s required,” he said.
Both agronomists say soil testing companies in the American Great Plains and Ontario are expanding services into Western Canada. But producers should be cautious when selecting an analysis not done on the Prairies.
“A certified agronomist should know to throw out the recommendations from a test done in the (United) States or elsewhere,” said Johnson. “The lab may be good, but our conditions here are quite different. Even the methods used on some soils vary and producers need to be aware of that.”
McKenzie said the Kelowna or modified Kelowna method is used in Western Canada.
“There are cases where recommendations are way off using other methods. Using a recognized lab based here (in Western Canada) rather than in Ontario, Minnesota or Idaho is the best way to ensure accurate results.”
Even the best soil testing methods are controversial, so a certified agronomist with local knowledge will interpret the information to help producers take advantage of the conditions they have at seeding time, he said.
