33 Story Idea? Email Paul.Nolan@Farms.com Better Farming | October 2024 FIELD TRIP The spray clinic in the afternoon was hosted by WinField United’s Darren McColm and Chadd Taylor, and the dealers who had supplied the equipment. “We got to see different nozzle stops, learned about different water types. You could tell that people were surprised that using soft over hard water and more PH in the water makes a difference.” On Saturday, around 60 people joined in for a bus tour. The full bus, as well as some folks following along in their own cars, made stops at the Canadian Wollastonite quarry as well as three farms: Rock-A-Berry Holsteins, a no-till seventh-generation farm that incorporates wollastonite in their soil health practices; Forman Farms, a cash crop farm that grows greenhouse produce; and Burnbrae Farms, Canada’s largest egg producer. “It poured so hard overnight, but it stopped raining on Saturday morning until we got on the bus. We did the wollastonite mine as our first stop, and it had stopped raining when we got there. “He took us into the above ground mine and gave us little bags of the product to try at home,” she says. “It’s fertilizer. It collects carbon in the ground and brings your PH level up and holds it where it needs to be. And it stays in the ground for years.” The next stop was Rock-A-Berry Holsteins, which was five minutes away. Dave and Brian Berry use the wollastonite on their soybeans and had culled some that were grown with and some grown without to show the difference. The group had lunch at the third stop, Forman Farms, and were joined by new ag minister Rob Flack, his PA, and MPP John Jordan. “Charlie Forman has 1,800 acres he grows crop on, and his wife operates a greenhouse. He’s always trying different crops and sharing what he’s done over the year. He even surprised the minister!” During lunch, Minister Flack introduced himself to the group. “We had a really good time with the minister,” Eleanor says. “He was approachable and really relaxed.” For the final stop, the group visited Burnbrae Farms, where they observed the birds and the packaging process. “It was a long day, but it was a really good day,” Eleanor says. “People had so many questions at all of the stops. I’ve noticed that farmers have so many questions. They want to know everything, and they’ll get down into the nitty-gritty of what you’re doing: Profit margins, how to make something work … “We’re all about education at OSCIA. Every program we run educates you in ways to be better. Again, it’s that looking-over-the-fence – to see what your neighbour’s doing, to help you do better. “You reap the benefits of education and learning from your peers.” BF Mikayla Stinson of Ducks Unlimited Canada, Derek Matheson of RVCA, Eleanor Renaud, and MPP Karen McCrimmon take a look at the wetland on Leacock Farms.
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