Good soil management pays off in spades for farmers

Source: Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food

The 19th annual meeting and conference of the Saskatchewan Soil Conservation Association (SSCA) will take place February 14 and 15 at the Saskatoon Inn in Saskatoon.

The SSCA is a non-profit producer organization. Its vision is to promote conservation production systems that improve the land and the environment for future generations. According to Juanita Polegi, the Assistant Manager of the SSCA, both the association and its annual conferences have come a long way since their early beginnings in terms of how they work at achieving that vision.

In the old days, conferences used to focus on how producers could practice basic soil conservation. We used to teach things like direct seeding and promote its benefits, Polegi said.

Now, many of these practices are quite common, their benefits are well-known, and we've advanced a ways beyond that initial stage. Now, we're helping producers to improve their competitive advantage, discussing the latest agronomic information that will enhance their ability to look after the environment and at the same time enhance their production. The two very much go hand-in-hand, and we try to help producers maximize both, she added.

This year's conference, entitled Farming Moving Forward, will feature sessions on a number of important topics, including: new crop technologies, beneficial soil microbes, grass and cows, the environment and reducing agricultural greenhouse gas emissions, alternative uses for prairie crops, improving pesticide efficiencies, and new and emerging issues.

We've chosen a different format for this year's conference, but our lineup of speakers is going to be as solid as ever,� said Polegi, noting that 32 different presenters will be addressing delegates over the course of the two-day event.

We've got a mix of researchers and farmers. The researchers are going to be relating their latest findings on a variety of topics, and farmers are going to be commenting on how they employ that research in their own farm situations.�

Another popular session will be a Youth Vision for Agriculture presentation by two schools participating in the Agriculture in the Classroom (AITC) initiative. According to Polegi, AITC put together a hypothetical farm, then asked the schools to propose short-term and long-term plans for the viability of the operation.

We always find it really interesting to see how the kids take the information that they've got, their own experiences, their experiences with their parents, the research that they do, and the kinds of solutions that they come up with for the hypothetical farm, she said. That's always a crowd pleaser.

In addition, the conference will feature two bear-pit sessions: one on crop management and one on cattle and grain.� An evening banquet will include the presentations of the SSCA Award of Merit to a deserving individual and the Farm Family Award for excellence in conservation.

Polegi says the conference is one that has appeal to both grain farmers and livestock producers, and many of the sessions overlap the two sectors. People who attend are going to find out a lot about their soil resource and how to manage it well, be it through proper grazing techniques or proper crop production, she said.

As producers manage the soil resource better, it becomes more productive, and it just becomes a continuous cycle. Take care of soil and the soil will take care of you.

Anyone interested in attending the conference can register by calling the SSCA toll-free at 1-800-213-4287. Registration is $95.40 per person for SSCA members before February 2, and $116.60 after. For non-members, the fees are $116.60 per person before February 2, and $137.80 after. GST has been included in all fees quoted.

More information on the conference can be found on the SSCA website at www.ssca.ca.

For more information, contact:
Juanita Polegi, Assistant Manager
Saskatchewan Soil Conservation Association
Phone: (306) 786-1526
E-mail: jpolegi@ssca.usask.ca
Website : www.ssca.ca