Sunflower Producers Hope For Killing Frost

Oct 31, 2014

The sunflower harvest in Manitoba is nearing the three-quarter mark.

Troy Turner, agronomist with the National Sunflower Association of Canada, says there are some pockets in the east and the extreme west that are still behind.

He notes a good killing frost would really help dry down the crop.

"For the most, part what had come off was coming off just above dry and most guys were either putting the sunflowers on to air in their bins or doing a little bit of drying just to get it down to around that ten per cent moisture."

Turner says yields were down a bit from last year, which was a banner year for sunflowers. He adds quality was also looking good but notes there was some areas with higher sclerotinia head rot due to higher moisture levels.

Ninety-thousand acres of sunflowers were grown in the province this year, which was up from last year but lower than initially projected due to moisture problems in the southwest.

Source: PortageOnline

Video: A chain harrow is a game changer

Utilizing a rotational grazing method on our farmstead with our sheep helps to let the pasture/paddocks rest. We also just invested in a chain harrow to allow us to drag the paddocks our sheep just left to break up and spread their manure around, dethatch thicker grass areas, and to rough up bare dirt areas to all for a better seed to soil contact if we overseed that paddock. This was our first time really using the chain harrow besides initially testing it out. We are very impressed with the work it did and how and area that was majority dirt, could be roughed up before reseeding.

Did you know we also operate a small business on the homestead. We make homemade, handcrafted soaps, shampoo bars, hair and beard products in addition to offering our pasture raised pork, lamb, and 100% raw honey. You can find out more about our products and ingredients by visiting our website at www.mimiandpoppysplace.com. There you can shop our products and sign up for our monthly newsletter that highlights a soap or ingredient, gives monthly updates about the homestead, and also lists the markets, festivals, and events we’ll be attending that month.