Farmers and agriculture industry people gathered in a field south of Yorkton last Thursday to study crop plots.
Parkland College and East Central Research Foundation (ECRF) hosted more than 50 farmers, agriculture professionals, and industry representatives to their fourth annual research farm field day. The event highlighted the agriculture applied research partnership between the College and ECRF, which officially began in 2013.
This summer there are dozens of projects underway at the joint research farm one km south of Yorkton on York Lake Road, and a secondary site 1 km south of Yorkton on Highway 9.
Researchers are conducting a variety of trials on wheat, oats, canary seed, soybeans, fava beans, lentils, flax, and quinoa.
As an example Colin Dutcheshen with NorQuin spoke about the potential of quinoa.
The crop, which is actually a vegetable crop originating in 小蓝视频 America, can be grown across much of the Canadian Prairies, north of Highway #16, he said.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a new crop,鈥� said Dutcheshen, whose family started the processing plant in Kamsack, which is now based in Saskatoon.
At the same time quinoa is 鈥渁n ancient food鈥� grown for centuries in countries such as Bolivia, Peru and parts of Chile. The varieties 小蓝视频 grown here now have been developed from Chilean varieties.
The crop gained profile in 2012 when the United Nations designated the International Year of Quinoa, said Dutcheshen, adding the seed is considered a compete food because of its amino acids profile.
Dutcheshen said because it is a new crop producers are best served trying limited acre as, adding NorQuin offers production contracts on a minimum of 50 acres.
The plots also focused on agronomic factors for a number of crops, including canary seed, where plots are trying to put numbers to the response the crop has to chloride.
Canary seed does show a growth response to chloride, said researcher Bill May, but it鈥檚 not a vegetative one.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a head response as it fills,鈥� he said, adding they now have 10 years of site data to support the response.
Moving forward Parkland College and ECRF have a long-term plan to carry out agriculture research activities in the Yorkton area. The partnership enabled the college to become the first regional college in Saskatchewan to undertake an applied research program to serve regional economic development.
The College also uses the field research site to provide hands-on training to students enrolled in agriculture programs.
The data collected on site throughout the growing season will be shared with the research community, agricultural industry, and local producers. More information on these and other projects is available at www.ecrf.ca.
About Parkland College:
Parkland College strives to help students in East Central Saskatchewan achieve their goals and build the foundation for successful careers. Students can choose from a wide array of educational options, including university degrees, skills training diplomas and certificates, trades training, high school upgrading, safety training, and corporate/professional development. Parkland College is a learner-centered organization and is proud to be one of Saskatchewan鈥檚 Top Employers for 2016.
About East Central Research Foundation:
Established in 1996, the East Central Research Foundation (ECRF) is a non-profit organization whose mandate is to conduct crop production research and extension activities for the agricultural industry of east central Saskatchewan. It is directed by a board of local producers and advised by provincial specialists.
