While drought conditions have forced cancellation of many field days this summer, the lack of moisture may create an ideal environment to showcase the value of micronutrients, during a field day to be held July 8 in eastern Alberta, sponsored by the Chinook Applied Research Association (CARA).
The CARA field day, located west and south of the community of Chinook, will feature a number of field treatments, including the impact of micronutrients on crop growth. While all crops have struggled this growing season, there appears to be (as of late June) a visual difference between the growth of wheat plots treated with micronutrients and the untreated plots.
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About 25 different field-scale and research plot size trials have been established near Chinook, which is east of Hanna along Highway 9.
Most of the plots, seeded in late April, compare a variety of fertilizer or nutrient treatments on hard red spring wheat. There are side-by-side comparisons of seed and foliar treatments with products such as Omex micronutrients, Alpine phosphate enhancement product, and Power Rich micronutrients and foliar fertilizers.
There is also a compost demonstration site, and CARA has established some disease demonstration sties. Along with the research trials, there will be several speakers available during the day, including Rod Whitfield, vice-president of the Royal Bank of Canada, Dan Hawkins with FarmLink Marketing Solutions, and Brent Tarasoff, agrologist with Field Quest Consulting of Red Deer.
The field day is July 8, from 10 a. m. to 4 p. m., located 4.5 kilometres (three miles) west of Chinook and one-half kilometre south. Lunch is available on site.
