Waterloo SCIA Twilight Tour

Host: Randy Horst, 6930 Line 86, Elmira

6:30 pm

Cover crop trials:

The largest portion of the field is going to be a trial between Oats, spring triticale, and spring rye, with possible spring wheat and spring barley as a forage crop after wheat. In Waterloo County, a large percentage of the wheat stubble gets seeded to either oats or oats and peas and then gets harvested as a forage crop in October/November. The big problem with oats, however, is crown rust, it’s almost a guarantee they will get infested with crown rust and if you don’t spray a fungicide, you will get very poor forage yields. The main goal of the trial will be to see if switching to a spring rye or spring triticale could be a good way to combat the disease and get better forage, maybe without the need to spray a fungicide. I will also have a few strips of other cover crop mixes so that people who are looking for the more traditional “green manure” or “plow down” cover crop.

7:30 p.m.

On-farm plastic recycling    

Host: Murray Brubacher, 855 Arthur St S, Elmira

Murray Brubacher owns Brubacher Drums, a provider of food-grade plastic barrels, water containers, and various storage solutions. They have recently invested in an on-farm plastics recycling that will recycle barrels, drums, pails, and totes.

Following the tour of the plastics recycling we will hear from Dr. Isabelle Aicklen, a weeds science professor at the University of Guelph. She will discuss practical weed and spray tips, including best practices for managing cover crop burn down.