Why do you Keep It Clean on your farm?

We talked to farmers and asked them a simple question “Why do you keep it clean on your farm?” Here are their responses.

Fiona Jochum

St. François Xavier, MB
Canola, oats, soybeans and wheat

It’s important because across Canada we are known for our quality products. That standard is what people look for when they buy from us, so that’s what we have to deliver. Exporting is so important for Canadian agriculture; we don’t want to jeopardize any of our markets or our relationships with our customers. Even beyond that, if you think about it, we’re all consumers here too, we’re consuming the food that we grow and we all want a safe, nutritious food supply.

As a young farmer, I’m still learning. That’s why I like using the Keep it Clean staging guides, in particular for canola. You can’t tell how the crop is doing by just looking at it from a distance, you actually have to go in, break open pods and whatnot. The staging guide is really easy, so it helps to take a quick look at it, so I know exactly what I’m supposed to look for when I go out to judge the timing. Then when I go out and check for seed colour change, I can make sure it’s at that 50, 60 per cent colour change before we head out there to spray pre-harvest glyphosate.

We all know what it’s like to be on a team, and market access is a team effort. Everybody needs to be on board, follow the rules and work together to keep it clean.

Jake Leguee

Fillmore, SK
Canola, durum, lentils, peas and wheat

It’s all about keeping our export markets open. I went on a New Crop Mission last September to our key durum export markets, where I was able to talk to buyers in those countries. That really drove home for me that what you do on your farm matters. That’s the message that I try to tell neighbors and friends. You might think your individual fields are no big deal. But, if your crop happens to be one of the samples taken at the export destination, and they can catch residues greater than the MRL, now we all have a problem.

Everything you do, does make a difference. We need to ensure were doing this properly. To me, that means it’s okay to ask questions and seek help, because we can’t be experts on everything.

Korey Peters

Randolph, MB
Canola, corn, soybeans, sunflowers and wheat

Well, quite frankly, we all like to make money and having access to more markets means there is a greater opportunity for your business to succeed. If we lose access to certain markets because of improper use, or because we’re using chemicals that country doesn’t accept, then we’re in trouble, which is why we need to make sure we are managing those applications as best as we can.

I think just making sure we keep those markets open is important to my family because that’s our livelihood. That was my dad’s livelihood, my livelihood and it might be the next generation’s livelihood, too.

Fred Greig

Reston, MB
Barley, canola, corn, flax, oats, peas, soybeans, sunflowers and wheat

We want to make sure we’re following all the rules to provide the highest quality product to customers and end users. Before you even plant, it’s important to understand where you’re selling it and how some of those decisions you’re making will have restrictions on how you market it. You’ve got to talk to your input supplier, talk to your end users where you’re selling to and check with your organization. That should cover most of the bases. My family has kids involved in the farm now. To be good stewards, moving forward especially, I think we’ve got even more reason to not restrict any of our markets.

Corey Loessin

Radisson, SK
Canola, lentils, oats, peas and wheat

The primary driver is to produce the highest quality product we can. In addition, export markets that either have tighter tolerances, or no tolerance, established for crop protection products, is something we certainly need to pay attention to. We need to be aware of which products may have special concerns around them.

Before we do anything as far as application of a product, we would check out Keep it Clean’s advisories to make sure what we’re going to do is all okay. That may involve also checking with exporters where we intend to sell the products.

We need to pay attention on an ongoing basis, not just once a year, but regularly to see what the Keep it Clean advisories have highlighted as products to pay particular attention to.

Everyone needs to take responsibility. Because everyone depends on the same markets, essentially right? We’re producing food, so it has to be clean.

Melissa Damiani

Bluffton, AB
Barley, canola, hay and forages, and wheat

For me, the need to produce a safe, quality end product impacts my decisions more than the bottom line on my farm. I keep it clean to produce a product that buyers and, ultimately end users, will want, but also to help protect my farm’s land, environment and people the best I can.

The Keep it Clean website has so many good resources to help you make the right decisions in-season. I recommend checking out this website as part of your winter planning routine to ensure you are using the right products, and check there haven’t been any changes with the products you plan to use the upcoming year.

I always take the time to read and follow the label for products I might be using on my crop, and understand the label instructions, requirements and any limitations for those products. PHIs are very important, and can vary greatly between products. Taking that bit of time to learn about the products you are using before application to ensure you are making smart decisions is always worth it.

Interpreting a product label can be intimidating sometimes, but there are numerous industry resources to help you out if you need. In my experience, a quick call to a retailer, agronomist, company hotline or other industry professional with any questions or clarifications is always a friendly, fast and easy way to ensure you are making the right spray or variety decisions.

I think we must consider the future impacts of our decisions today when it comes to domestic and international trade, plus increased public scrutiny of farming practices. Farmers can continue to be a trustworthy source and someone that the public can rely on to produce safe and quality food, while also considering the environmental and economic impacts of their decisions. Keep it Clean is a really simple way of ensuring these parameters are covered, while also protecting our strong reputation as a quality exporter.

Let’s continue to prove to the world that Canadian producers are capable of consistently producing some of the highest quality, safe and healthy food that is available, and that we can be trusted as top-level producers that are ready to feed a hungry world!