Conditions are ripe for farmers to switch from tillage to chemicals to control weeds this spring.
Dry soil conditions, combined with high fuel prices and positive reviews from other producers, could prompt many to opt for the sprayer rather than the cultivator, say industry officials.
“Every time you till the soil you’re going to lose some moisture, so if you can keep from tilling you’ll save what little bit of moisture you might have,” said Jim Pratt, a provincial government agrologist from Swift Current. “A pre-seeding chemical burnoff fits in well when things are a little drier.”
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Studies conducted at Montana State University have shown that half an inch of moisture is lost with every tillage operation. The same research indicates that half inch of moisture translates into an average yield loss of two bushels per acre.
Larry Gramiak, agrologist for the Saskatoon region, said there’s no doubt moisture conditions are causing concern in many parts of the prairies.
“It’s weighing heavy on the minds of a lot of people,” he said, adding that farmers will employ a variety of strategies to deal with dry conditions.
Some will delay seeding in the hopes of getting more rains, while others will try to seed early in order to take advantage of whatever early moisture there is. Some may manipulate seeding depth, but there’s only so much that can be done in that regard, while others may change cropping plans or even reduce their seeded area.
Pratt said the recent increase in the cost of fuel may be the final piece in the puzzle for farmers in dry areas considering switching to a preseed burnoff.
“If you put a sharp pencil to it, it’s probably cheaper to use a chemical application than tillage.”
Aaron Chronik, marketing manager for the Monsanto herbicide RoundUp, says there was already a lot of interest in direct seeding and preseed burnoff, but that has intensified in recent months as farmers have watched moisture levels drop and fuel prices rise.
Farmers are looking to save money any way they can, and spraying provides clear savings over tillage when it come to fuel consumption and wear and tear on machinery.
“They want to do it anyway, but now that it’s a little drier and with fuel prices up, it makes it a compelling story,” said Chronik.
One of the main advantages of chemical burnoff, he said, is that it eliminates the very early weeds, which have the most severe impact on yields and can be hard to control with tillage.
“The early weeds take the early moisture, especially in a dry year,” said Chronik.
He quoted studies by Agriculture Canada scientists reporting that that five annual weeds appearing a week before crop emergence do more harm to yields than 100 weeds appearing two weeks after the crop is up.
Tilling less common
It’s estimated that in 1999 about 60 percent of prairie crop acres were not tilled prior to seeding, while about one-third of acres in western Canada received some sort of spring herbicide application.
“It’s almost mainstream now not to do a lot of spring tillage,” said Chronik, adding that Monsanto’s own research indicates that when both yields and herbicide costs are taken into account, farmers get a better return from a preseed burnoff than from in-crop or a combined preseed/in-crop applications.
Pratt said a large percentage of producers now have seeding equipment that can put seed into ground that hasn’t been tilled, making it easier for them to switch to direct seeding.
Direct seeding has really caught on the southwest in large part because of the region’s propensity for dry springs, he added.
