Friday with Vitterra

Today we met up with Norm, an agronomist from Vitterra. Norm oversees all the local agro's in the area that work out of Vitterra distribution stores around Calgary. We visited a Vitterra depot, before heading out to meet a innovative grower in the area, LarryWooliams. Larry farmed approx 6000 acres of Canola, Barley and Hay. Average yields of Canola were 3-4t/ha, and Barley 5t/ha. Although they recieve similar rainfall to us there is soil is a rich black clay allowing them to get the better yields. There summer growing season is extremely short, sowing in May and harvesting in September, so Larry is geared up with some very impressive and large machinery to get the job done quickly. Below is a shot of their two seeding bars.

 Linda and I in on of Larry's Barley crops, which did not look any better than one of ours, yet they believed would yield 5t/ha. They are currently spraying fungicide on their barley. In the background, Larry had massive on farm grain storage which seems the norm for farmers in the area, as the grain and rail system can not handle all the crop at harvest time.

 Norm showing us a well developed Canola crop, Liberty Link variety, In-vigour.

Larrys only weed control was herbicides once again!! It was a great day out on the road and we got to see some of the better and worser areas in the Calgary region!