The Kuhl family of Winkler, Manitoba may not farm directly within the flood path of the mighty Red River but that doesn’t mean they don’t understand and respect the power of water.
“The Red River Valley has dark, fertile soil,” explains Marlon Kuhl, who shares management responsibilities with his brother Jeremy at Southern Potato Co Ltd. “The challenge is that there is a clay base underneath and more often than not, our crops would have wet feet if it weren’t for extensive tile drainage. In my entire career, I’ve only seen a couple bad droughts.”
Farming 11,000 acres of canola, corn, wheat, soybeans, edible beans and potatoes in rotation affords a yearly allocation of approximately 2,500 acres which produce fresh, chip and seed potatoes. They are sold under the Southern Potato Co banner.
Exploring ways to de-risk the farm’s exposure to occasional drought, an increasing worry in light of climate change pressures, they decided to build two water reservoirs, six miles apart, on farm property. A four-year project that started in 2015 was supervised by local engineer Bruce Shewfelt, PBS Water Engineering Ltd. He managed the permitting process with municipal and provincial authorities. At the same time, he partnered with other technical specialists to choose suitable sites for a combined total of 500 acre-feet of water storage.
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