Meristem: Top Stories

Environmentally, the best system to store fertilizers and pesticides on the farm is to not store any at all, but that is not always possible for some farmers. That is why minimum setback distances between storage units and water bodies are established. Pesticide storage, mixing and loading must be a minimum of 30 metres from a water body, says Jock McIntosh, agriculture and chemical advisor with Alberta Environment. The minimum setback distance for fertilizer storage, mixing and loading is 20 metres.

However, McIntosh stresses that this minimum setback distance is just that - a number set to outline the minimum standard of safety. "The best management practice is to go above and beyond these minimums and maintain as great a distance as possible between any potential contaminant and water sources or bodies," he says.

Plugging wells prevents problems

In proper terms it's called "decommissioning" — a bit official sounding, especially when used to describe the proper plugging of an old farm well. But in today's world, where water quality and availability has taken on a new urgency, the proper plugging of inactive wells has become higher priority, with more and more producers wanting to know how to do it properly.

Although a general increase in awareness of water management and a genuine desire to act responsibly is driving this interest in part, Ken Williamson, a water specialist with Alberta Agriculture, Food and Rural Development (AAFRD), says farmers and ranchers who have had to put up with the hassle of finding alternatives to contaminated water for personal or livestock use will do anything to avoid the problem.

"It costs a lot less and is a lot less hassle to prevent water contamination through an old well than it does to fix the problem," says Williamson.

New linseed flax on the way

A new linseed flax was recommended for registration by crop experts at this year's Prairie Registration Recommending Committee for Grain (PRRCG) meeting.

The yet-to-be-named crop line, tested as "FP2161"is a brown-seeded Linseed flax line. Compared to the check, Flanders, matures significantly earlier (-3.0 days) and is significantly higher yielding in the short growing season in the Black and Grey Soil Zone and similar yielding in the longer growing season in the Black and Grey Soil Zone.

FP 2161 has significantly larger seeds than Flanders, with similar lodging resistance, oil content and iodine number; and significantly higher protein (meal) content than Flanders when tested across western Canada. It is immune to rust, race 371 and has similar wilt resistance as that of Flanders and NorLin. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Morden, Man.

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Going above and beyond for water safety

Plugging wells prevents problems

New linseed flax on the way