Does NFU represent the average farmer? Some interesting characters on their board.

[Braveheart]

There used to be an NFU guy named Fred Tait that was a thorn in MB farm politics. Commented on everything.

His brother tired of it all and started phoning around informing that Fred didn't farm at all but drove a road grader.

Secret identity revealed and deep within NFU headquarters they decided to remove him from public.

[ajl]

Another has been farming 40 years in Alberta and has a knowledge and understanding of soils which is rare in North America. As a result his organic wheat crops regularly yield 20% above the conventional crops grown in his locality, verified by crop insurance records.

Would need to present data to prove that one. All organic guys think they grow bigger and better crops than their technology using neighbors. Legends in their own minds.

[RD414]

I had the privilege of living in the same area for 50 some years as Roy A. ( dripping with sarcasm). The man absolutely hated the thought of a farmer ever making money. I also remember going to a neighbor hood party as a kid, this was after the local nfu crew had been to China on a ag tour. Still have the Communist handbook somewhere. Evelyn Potter was promoting how we should all change to their( Chinese) political system. Funny, both Roy and Potter's sold out to highest bidder who were the enemy back in the day but 300 and 400 a quarter Worked for them.

[grassfarmer]

Would need to present data to prove that one. All organic guys think they grow bigger and better crops than their technology using neighbors. Legends in their own minds.

He has done. You should attend a meeting he is presenting at. This guy has it figured out - of course he's not a crop only farmer he integrates livestock and alfalfa into his rotations. Very, very smart guy.

[hobbyfrmr]

I went on an organic field tour and we were taken to one of the thistle plots that they were cultivating- solid Canada Thistle.

Growing Canada Thistle is not hard. Look at your headlands, approaches, ditches and pastures.

[hobbyfrmr]

They don’t represent anyone. Won’t say how many members they have as it’s probably so few it’s meaningless. Where does the money come from? The two I have met, both on the board, are the type that would only attend something if someone else is paying.
They did manage to get an ‘organic’ research cluster set up and lay claim to about $600k in federal funding. Crock of crap. One project is researching how to control Canada thistle with a cultivator. Seriously. Maybe plotting the moon cycles vs time of tillage.
A completely irrelevant group that whines about how good things used to be in the CWB days.

You have to face due east and swing a dead chicken over your head before you jump in the tractor to go cultivate.

[sumdumguy]

Growing Canada Thistle is not hard. Look at your headlands, approaches, ditches and pastures.

Hobby, I don’t think you have seen these ‘test’ fields.

[farmaholic]

You have to face due east and swing a dead chicken over your head before you jump in the tractor to go cultivate.

Serious comment.

Tillage: Seems I remember the Thistles can't see the light of day and effectively have to starve the roots to gain some control. How can we do that without extensive cultivation?

Rodweeders or cultivator mounted deadrods(want to buy one?) help to maintain trash cover and uproot lots of roots. We used a deadrod and it helped reduce tillage passes...especially in hot dry conditions so what ever the deadroad layed on top would quickly die.

In continuous cropping I've seen Thistles that looked like they had leaf diseases. Maybe a "natural" biological control agent might be on the horizon. Think outside box----outside the chemical box for you Hobby!

[hobbyfrmr]

Serious comment.

Tillage: Seems I remember the Thistles can't see the light of day and effectively have to starve the roots to gain some control. How can we do that without extensive cultivation?

Rodweeders or cultivator mounted deadrods(want to buy one?) help to maintain trash cover and uproot lots of roots. We used a deadrod and it helped reduce tillage passes...especially in hot dry conditions so what ever the deadroad layed on top would quickly die.

In continuous cropping I've seen Thistles that looked like they had leaf diseases. Maybe a "natural" biological control agent might be on the horizon. Think outside box----outside the chemical box for you Hobby!

I have not touched a chemical box in 13 years, but thats not relevant.
I have seen thistles attacked by a natural fungus on less travelled roadsides. Somehow it attacks the thistle root system, interferes with chlorophyll production and the entire thistle turns bery pale yellow or white .
I know a very good organic farmer that explained to me how to propogate the fungus. He had collected as many plants as possible with soil on roots. Threw it in a blender then using the glassware jugs from a couple of wine making kits was fermenting it. Eventually you add it to larger volume tanks until you have enough to go out and spray a field.
I did not completely follow the presentation, there was molases involed and the large tanks had to be inside above 12 celcius.

I have never paid much attention to NFU. The other organic guys liked them. Im not much for ideaologies and more about individual efforts. I dont care to be attached to politics or any political parties. They do come up with some very good ideas at times but very seldom in my opinion.

[WiltonRanch]

NFU strikes up the image of drab stone faced NDP farmers with their coop combines and Volvo tractors in a cloud of dust. They do not represent me. Probably if they dropped their affiliation with the ndp, organized labour, and the anti everything crowd they might come back to planet earth. Aren’t Ontario farmers by law supposed to be members? I bet that’s where they get their fundiing. they do sometimes come out on the right side of issues but they are so radical they don’t speak for all of us. Sad though as they have the credent ear of the media.

[grassfarmer]

Maybe a "natural" biological control agent might be on the horizon. Think outside box----outside the chemical box for you Hobby!

The 1965 horizon Farma? these have been used in pasture situations but likely not in crops. There is always a "natural" way.

http://www.westcentralforage.com/saca/canada-thistle-stem-mining-weevils/ http://http://www.westcentralforage.com/saca/canada-thistle-stem-mining-weevils/

[farmaholic]

I guess this is a bit of a thread derail but hobby's and grassy's last posts were interesting.

Hobby, I do remember seeing the symptoms you talked about...chlorotic thistles....light green to yellow to almost white thistles. I wondered what was wrong with them and thought it would be good for you guys if field crops weren't susceptible. How long would it take to multiply up enough solution to cover a quarter section? We are talking about a microscopic control/infection agent, I suspect a decent concentration of 400-800 gallons would do the trick? Neat concept! The symptoms I mentioned earlier were kind of leaf spot symptom diseases....but don't know what it is.

Grassy, never heard of or "knowingly" seen the weavils before. Seems like a slower control process but once weavil populations have increased to adequate levels they would probably stay high until the host thistle plant populations decreased. Can they over winter in harsh prairie winters? I do remember seeing LOOSE cocoon web-like structures on thistle plants that had defoliating insects in them, those plants were affected by these feeders, I tried to find a picture on the net but couldn't. I realize this isn't a weevil type infestation, but something else.

We don't have near the thistle problem we've had in the past, you know why, two effective active ingredients. But if there is an option, like discussed above, for control in your production methods/models.....that's good news!