Organics networking...

[farmaholic]

Are some of our Organic posters taking in the Conference, workshop, trade show and banquet at the Conexus Arts Centre Regina on November 3rd to 5th?

[farmaholic]

Might be a damn good paradigm shift for me!

Since our farm seems small compared to some it might be something do-able since I believe there is more intense management in that farming model......or maybe not so much as more management as a completely different way of doing things?

It would probably be very interesting.

Kinda tired of playing "Host" to the "Parasite Party".....

[hobbyfrmr]

Don't do it.
Do you really want your neighbours watch you grow half a crop a year?
There is no money in it.
High Dockage
Grain Cleaners
You will not learn anything.
You will get brainwashed into thinking you can grow a crop without the use of fertilizer or your BFF retailer's gifts that end with "ide".
Most of those types of people are all "happy" . You dont want to be a part of that.
Weeds, weeds, weeds.
Tillage, erosion , nutrient depletion, erosion, tillage, lots of tractor hours/depreciation , less time at the lake. Disks, compaction , weeds, independant thinking. No more free hats, jackets or vacations.
I will not be able to make it, I am still harvesting. Organic dummies plant late in the spring then they have a bunch of crop out there when the snow arrives. Some will have to be combined in the spring, which makes planting late and the cycle continues.

I had 3 neighbours go organic about 12 years ago. They lasted about 5 years, one big farm went back to conventional, two other farms on their last year planted every acre to RR canola to clean up their land, they hired a BTO to do the spraying and then cash rented to him the following year. The end.
Its funny because one of those farms was very involved in the chapters and certifying committees etc. In the end they finked out to conventional. Like anything, follow the money.

[farmaholic]

There is a very wealthy family that came into the area SE of Regina that is transitioning into organic. .....Successful conventional farmers!

Thee hobbyfrmr doth protest too much, methinks!!

[Jay-mo]

You also don't need any hired help when harvesting. Combine all day, with no need to haul any grain from the field! You can sell your bins for some quick cash too!

[hobbyfrmr]

There is a very wealthy family that came into the area SE of Regina that is transitioning into organic. .....Successful conventional farmers!

Thee hobbyfrmr doth protest too much, methinks!!

Truth be told, I sold a semi load of screenings. I am taking my family to Disneyland that week.

You have to want to farm organic. Its not something you do to decrease expenses or make big cash. You will have to be able to think for yourself.

[farmaholic]

There's been afew attempts at organic farming around here in the past but i think they were doing it for the wrong reasons.... I also believe you have to be a good farmer to start with. Letting weeds get away in fallow years killed these guys. Maybe not enough properly timed plow-downs for max N fixing and weed control timing. Maybe not enough forage stands. We used a dead-rod on the last row of deep tillage cultivator shanks back when we fallowed....worked good at killing weeds and leaving trash on top for erosion control.

Its not the most esthetically way to farm but it doesnt have to be picture perfect to be good.

Some price quotes I've heard in the past were staggering compared to conventional prices.

Its a different way of doing things.

[hobbyfrmr]

There's been afew attempts at organic farming around here in the past but i think they were doing it for the wrong reasons.... I also believe you have to be a good farmer to start with. Letting weeds get away in fallow years killed these guys. Maybe not enough properly timed plow-downs for max N fixing and weed control timing. Maybe not enough forage stands. We used a dead-rod on the last row of deep tillage cultivator shanks back when we fallowed....worked good at killing weeds and leaving trash on top for erosion control.

Its not the most esthetically way to farm but it doesnt have to be picture perfect to be good.

Some price quotes I've heard in the past were staggering compared to conventional prices.

Its a different way of doing things.

You will have to think for yourself and deal with the consequences. After it's planted, there is very little you can do about it other than work it down!!
If you want esthetics I recommend RR canola on LL canola stubble. You will make so much money you won't even think about organic farming.

[TraderJoe]

I would encourage you to go and check it out Farma, there is a lot to be learned from the Organic sector in my mind... I deal in both and have seen organic crops that would make nearly every conventional farmer jealous... and that is before you look at the price! The saying used to be "half the crop, twice the price", and at that, why switch? It is not that way any longer... more like "2/3 the crop, 3X the price"! What do you have to lose if you go to a conference with an open mind? A few hundred bucks and some hours... what does 1 box of Liberty cost you?

[Partners]

Hope our neighbors learn something.they have been organic for 10 plus yrs.and still spend most of their time working down crops.

[fjlip]

You also don't need any hired help when harvesting. Combine all day, with no need to haul any grain from the field! You can sell your bins for some quick cash too!

Yup same here, my reasons is that the WEED SEED bank is astronomical! And fallow does SFA to control weeds. Maybe vegetable row crops, and some hand weeding, but field crops are a shame, a waste of land and your life growing nothing half the time...

[hobbyfrmr]

Yup same here, my reasons is that the WEED SEED bank is astronomical! And fallow does SFA to control weeds. Maybe vegetable row crops, and some hand weeding, but field crops are a shame, a waste of land and your life growing nothing half the time...

Thats awesome!
Its best to continue spraying. Eventually there will be no weeds in your fields at all. Volunteer RR canola can be controlled the following year when you plant LL canola and vice versa. Until.....oooooops , the seed companies stacked both traits for you! You will be happy because your getting 2X the technology and paid for only one.

[AlbertaFarmer5]

Have some neighbors who have been organic for decades, seems to be working.

correct me if i'm wrong, but i think in some cases, it is like all the folks who seed the farm to grass and try intensive grazing. A last desperate attempt. Which universally ends in an auction sale here, but I expect that was going to happen anyways. There are some very successful intensive grazers and organic operations too. But I think they get into it for different reasons.

[grassfarmer]

Have some neighbors who have been organic for decades, seems to be working.

correct me if i'm wrong, but i think in some cases, it is like all the folks who seed the farm to grass and try intensive grazing. A last desperate attempt. Which universally ends in an auction sale here, but I expect that was going to happen anyways. There are some very successful intensive grazers and organic operations too. But I think they get into it for different reasons.

I'll correct you AF5, I have NEVER seen anyone that was desperate and on their way out of agriculture seed their farm to grass and intensive graze. If they had the vision, management skills and work ethic necessary to make intensive grazing work they wouldn't have failed in conventional agriculture.

If you'd said they seeded it to grass and either sold hay or rented out grazing I'd maybe agree with you.

[nibs1]

this is my last years organic red spring wheat crop underseeded to clover.