SASKATOON — Local farmer Derek Dery said their planting season went as planned in early spring, but they had to adjust their plans in mid-June due to the drought conditions.
Dery, who helps manage Sixteen Grains, the agriculture business owned by his wife’s family, told SaskToday that their growing season started on April 24, with wheat as the first crop they planted.
“We completed planting on May 27. The planting season went very well. Due to the economics of grain farming, we utilized the equipment in our fleet, which extended our planting season slightly,” said Dery.
“After planting, our crops experienced drought stress through to the middle of June. Before the June rains, we had only received two to three-tenths of an inch during the third week of May. Overall, our crops experienced drought conditions.”
Dery added that, despite the drought conditions, they managed to “pivot” with their crop plan and decided to grow multiple types of pulse crops and less canola. Pulse crops include legumes such as beans, chickpeas, dry peas, and lentils.
“Early seeded crops experienced the most drought stress, and we currently have a lot of tillering and second growth in our wheat crop, which will delay maturity/harvest. For the amount of crops harvested, we are currently on pace to meet our expectations,” he said.
"During the past winter, we conducted a thorough review of our crop plan with our agronomists to determine the optimal type of crop for each of the different soil textures we farm. We also adjusted our fertility and crop protection plan to achieve more modest yield goals due to past droughts and extreme July heat in prior years.”
Dery said that their agritourism side of the business, launched last year, has also helped them. They have teamed up with Discover Saskatoon and have already hosted several tours this summer.
“We enjoyed collaborating with Discover Saskatoon to offer our tour as part of the conference event packages, and we will be hosting the first conference delegate experience this summer,” said Dery.
“We also have a lot of In-Kind farm tour experiences coordinated with the provincial Ministry of Trade and Export as well as the Ministry of Agriculture. We expect 50 international guests this summer.”
Sixteen Grains will host a free walking tour event to mark the start of its Open Farm Days on Saturday next month, Aug. 9.
Their Open Farm Days were well-received, with visitors enjoying and being in awe of the farm equipment and modern technology they have been using. Their guests also liked the pancakes during their farm-to-fork experience.
