Ducks unlimited

[farmaholic]

So I am assuming you can't cut it before a certain date, have to have a flush bar on the haybine and may have to leave it established for a certain amount of years?

To each their own and we probably all signed things that have us lose control of some of our land......pipelines, utilities, oil and gas, all sorts of easments. Some voluntary and some not so much...in some cases give it or they'll take it.

[grassfarmer]

Just blind hate Freewheat but what dd you expect from the ditching and bitching crew? I haven't worked with DU yet but I certainly recognise that we have common goals. I like the idea of having healthy soil, wildlife and the ability to hold more water on my land.

[grassfarmer]

To each their own and we probably all signed things that have us lose control of some of our land......pipelines, utilities, oil and gas, all sorts of easments. Some voluntary and some not so much...in some cases give it or they'll take it.

You forgot to mention TUA costs associated with GM crops. Paying a company which then comes and sticks its nose in your business, goes through your records, checks your crops like they are some kind of god. Funny there is no hate directed against them.
#stockholm syndrome

[freewheat]

There is no cut date in the papers. There is a specified number of years to be left as forage, but if I wish, I can take out the forage before then.

[Oliver88]

So just hate them? No reason? Anyone wanna share specifics about what they are going to do to me for taking money from them? I signed an agreement with them, nothing sneaky or shady. I simply provide a cover crop, they pay me for half the seed.

Heck of a crop too, I never knew alfalfa grew that tall and thick. Wow! They should have paid me to over winter my fabas, there were more duck nests in there than I could count. lol

Your contract sounds fine Freewheat and will save you $ but there are a lot of bad agreements they have signed with farmers.

Ducks Unlimited used to have contracts with farmers for "conservation land" that if you went through the fine print they would have the right to flood the land if they needed too.

DU has also put weirs in lakes and rivers that restrict the flow of water. This was usually done during dry years and now those restrictions are causing high water levels in lakes and sloughs during wet years.

They are definitely not worried about the best interest of farmers.

[riders2010]

Yes be sure about what your agreement is. But neighbors that drain their potholes on to other neighbors land when there is no path for the water to keep
Going don't give a sht about farmers either. There should be no draining unless the water you drain can keep going without harming anyone else.
I hear some rms have given notice and I hope they all do and enforce it.

[farmaholic]

In the N.E. corner of our R.M. there is a series of marshes that got the generous name of "lakes" when all they really are are shallow large marshes. One was named Dry lake and dry "was" a good description. Two or three decades ago there was a diversion channel built from the other two marshes to it. I believe DU had their hands in this project. For a very long time the project appeared to be a waste of time....fast forward to the last few years of "excess" water and it is now full beyond what ever appeared to be it's natural boundries.....kinda like a Quill Lake secenario on a small scale. Land owners have lost usable pasture land to the extra water. There are claims that drainage off grain land upstream never helped matters. A road needed to be built higher, trees that grew for decades are dead in the water, lots of water dependant birds arrived, pasture land has been lost, habitat has been lost. But it's a stark difference from what I remember it when I used to check our cattle in the community pasture bordering it. Some will be happy....others not so much.

[hobbyfrmr]

Grassfarmer,

Similar to you, I am on the outside looking in. It is fascinating to watch the dependance on canola seed to cash flow impressive farms. My most sensible neighbor has adopted the now common practice of planting canola on canola stubble. Naturally he says the "systems " are expensive and basically there is no escaping paying for the technology. They need to plant canola to cash flow the farm until that implodes. There is a lot of progressive farmers diversified into lentils this year. They should make good money. Then canola on lentil stubble. Cha ching!!!$$

[hobbyfrmr]

I digress. I have planted winter wheat and some forages in collaboration with DU. Not too many conditions. In this situation they want to encourage nesting grounds. We have not had any cut dates or flush bars imposed on us, but some of those ideas makes sense. If you think about it, timelines are frequently in sync with haying in this area anyway.
So, DU pays a modest incentive if you choose to work with them. I am sure the seed companies must offer a volume discount, early pre pay discount, and possibly a free trip to sunny destination if you buy enough of their technology.

[farming101]

Some DU land near here thistles from one end to the other.

[mcfarms]

What we are seeing here is exactly what was described as above, lakes not being managed properly, people and towns dumping storm water in them and excess water backing up into our lands, no management of grasses around lakes on crown land. Promises not kept, revolving door of people. Wanting everything for free .

[burnt]

About 30 or 40 years ago the provincial government bought 5500 acres of land about 15 miles south of us and gave the management of it over to DU.

They planted proso millet in it to attract waterfowl and it worked exceptionally well....

We now have the pleasure of a perennial battle with proso millet on every crop farm for dozens of miles around that friggin swamp. Gee, we could never see that one coming could we...

Typical example of a "conservation effort" costing the private individual while providing free fun for the rest of society.

[parsley]

Ducks Unlimited is an American-born entity with a Canadian branch. DU Can operates on grants from various other American funded orgs in Candna, supporting their Canadian branch, with billionaire Gerorge Soros funding most of them. The Tides Foundation, for example, empties a chunk of its' purse yearly, into the DU Canada's bank account. For a reason. As many other registered orgs do. All American origin.

Soros doesn't seem to fund anything out of duty or loyalty, but out of motive. He hates capitalism. Oil. And Jews.

Ducks Unlimited works endlessly to have individuals sign away their fresh-waterway rights to them for mere pennies. Quite often for thirty year terms, without farmers understanding the ramifications of the lease. Their staff is well paid, & tenacious and liase with countless other f
Soros-funded orgs such as leadnow dot org who work in the interest of a vision that Canada has traditionally not admired. Cuba has.
Canada has a some of the world's largest fresh water lakes and pools in the world.

pars.

[farmaholic]

You forgot to mention TUA costs associated with GM crops. Paying a company which then comes and sticks its nose in your business, goes through your records, checks your crops like they are some kind of god. Funny there is no hate directed against them.
#stockholm syndrome

Grass farmer.....sounds more like the Organic Grain Industry or maybe even age, or whatever other novel trait beef production system people persue. I think we all endure a certain level of regulation and people looking over our shoulders at what we claim we are going within the "guidelines" laid out for us to follow.