The 49-question online survey was conducted between spring and fall 2023. Ten producers from Alberta and Saskatchewan who were early adopters of the technology responded. Results were published in the September 2024 edition of the Canadian Journal of Plant Science.

Mechanical solutions like weed seed destructors have gained attention due to weed resistance concerns, but uptake is slow on the Prairies.

An impact mill is attached to the rear of a combine. As a crop is harvested, weed seeds from the back are fed into the mill, where they are spun at a high rate of speed. That damages and renders them nonviable. This material is then spread back in the field.

The mills also reduce the spread of weed seeds during harvest, resulting in lower herbicide costs and reduced selection pressure for herbicide resistance.

Among the most popular devices are the Redekop Seed Control Unit, the Integrated Harrington Seed Destructor, the Seed Terminator and the WeedHOG.

Making it work

There have been other Canadian studies on impact mills, but this was the first to look at harvest weed seed control that incorporates on-farm experiences.

AAFC research scientist Breanne Tidemann says researchers have done small-plot research and field trials on the technology, but it was important to get on-farm data.

“No matter how much small-plot research or even field trial-scale research you do, it’s not the same as a farmer using it on all their acres for multiple years,” says Tidemann, who led the research study. “They just get insights and experiences that we can’t get.”

The survey used a relatively small sample size, but the 18 weed seed mills that were part of it represented 60 per cent of the machines thought to be used in Canada in 2023. Results will provide a baseline that researchers can revisit to determine changes in adoption rate and users.

The study focused on several key issues, including who uses harvest weed seed control technology and why; challenges they have encountered; crops on which it is used; maintenance and fuel costs and its effect in controlling problem weeds.

Most of the responding producers operate farms of 10,000 acres or larger. They equipped most of their combines (75 per cent) with the mills, but were strategic because they had a limited number of machines available.

Respondents said wild oats (60 per cent) and kochia (50 per cent) were the top weeds that motivated them to use impact mills. Tidemann says she was surprised to see wild oats ranked so high.

“All the research that we’ve done has shown wild oat loses its (weed) seeds early, so there’s some challenges using harvest weed seed control for wild oat. But I’m not surprised that it’s pushing people to try alternatives.”

The survey results also showed a weed seed mill behind a combine adds an additional $1.40 in fuel costs per acre. Tidemann says it’s up to individuals to determine how affordable that is, since it largely depends on the size of the farms they operate.

On average, producers said it cost them about $1,500 a year in maintenance per impact mill, including greasing and changing parts such as bearings and belts.

Tidemann says it was difficult to pinpoint a precise figure since many respondents had only recently adopted the technology and estimated what their costs would be. Longer-use adopters indicated annual maintenance costs of about $1,750 for each unit.

Participating producers were also asked about limitations or challenges when using the mills. Most (70 per cent) identified plugging due to green material as a significant limitation, and kochia was a problem in that regard.

“A very large patch of kochia that’s essentially choked out all the crop, if you try and take that in one fell swoop, you will be unplugging the back of your combine. There’s got to be enough dry materials to push it through,” Tidemann says.

Despite that, a number of respondents said kochia had the greatest response in terms of mill use. They also noted reduced use of herbicides with grassy weeds such as wild oats and green foxtail when using an impact mill.

Wheat (90 per cent), canola (80 per cent) and lentils (80 per cent) were identified as the crops in which mills were most utilized.

Producers were asked to estimate how long it will take to recoup the investment in an impact mill and the most common response was three to five years (60 per cent) followed by six to eight years (20 per cent).

“It’s reassuring that those people that are adopting are going in with the mindset that it’s going to take some time and they’re not expecting an immediate response, which is going to lead to people stepping out of it before they would maybe see the impact,” Tidemann says.

Respondents said they most commonly consulted manufacturers and other farmers before using an impact mill.

“The mill companies makes sense,” says Tidemann. “The second one, early adopting farmers, was interesting. To me, what that’s saying is it’s all good and fine to have someone like me out talking to them, but you’re going to get a whole lot more bang for your buck if you have a farmer that’s actually using the thing. They want to hear from farmers who are using the machines.”

Resisting resistance

Jason Waldenberger participated in the study. He operates a 6,500-acre grain farm north of Moose Jaw, Sask., and has been using an Australian-manufactured Seed Terminator impact mill for the past three harvests.

Waldenberger says he’s an “easy sell” when it comes to adopting new technology and became interested in impact mills several years ago, after meeting another farmer who was using one. He was prompted to try it himself after noting chemical resistance among weeds in fields where he was growing pulse crops.

He says participating in the study was a no-brainer, since anything producers can do to help the research community also helps themselves.

“We’ve got some fantastic people working in our industry,” he says. “I think anytime we can work with those kinds of people or pass along information and vice versa, they can then do really good, steady work and help us make better decisions and give us feedback on what they’re finding.”

Tidemann says data from the survey could help manufacturers adjust their products to address concerns. It may also provide direction for future research in terms of the technology.

Asked to identify research that was still needed regarding impact mills, the three most common farmer responses were efficacy on weed densities, impact on precision spraying and grain loss calculations.

“There’s still lots of things that we don’t know (about the technology) and this gives us an idea of what’s important on-farm,” says Tidemann.

The post Real talk from real farmers on weed seed destructors appeared first on Alberta Farmer Express.

“Meet with your member of Parliament annually. That’s how you inform politicians. That’s where you can gain some real momentum and leverage. It only takes one MP to stand up at caucus and say I visited my constituents and this is the big issue,” said Dave Carey.

Carey, a professional lobbyist based in Ottawa, spoke about how farmers can have their voices heard in Ottawa during the opening day of Manitoba Ag Days 2024 in Brandon, Man. on Tuesday.  Carey is vice-president of government and industry relations with the Canadian Canola Growers Association. He’s also a former political staffer in Ottawa who has worked on three federal election campaigns.

He said it’s crucial for farmers to build relationships with federal politicians regularly and not just in times of crisis. Often, the repercussions of a particular piece of legislation are not intentional, but the result of politicians not being aware of how their constituents feel on a particular issue.

“It’s imperative that we spend half an hour once a year meeting with our federal parliamentarian or provincial politicians so they know exactly how you feel,” he said. “They are professional meeting takers…so we need to spend 30 minutes with parliamentarians so that they know exactly how you feel. The only way (they) know is hearing directly from farmers.”

Carey said farmers should keep up to date on the issues affecting them by checking out a trusted news source, and not just ones that supports their own opinion. He said a website like nationalnewswatch.com is a great source of information because it details what issues are making news in Ottawa without a political bias.

“My advice is get informed and stay informed. It’s very easy to only read newspaper articles or whatever that support your opinion. Get out of your comfort and read some different things,” he said.

It’s also a good idea for producers to track how your local MP votes on issues that are important to them. Carey said the results can sometimes be surprising. An easy to do so is to register at the website openparliament.ca. It shows how each MP voted on a particular issue and users can sign up for email alerts that will let them know whether their local MP voted in favour of or against a government bill in Parliament.

“Support your preferred candidates, but don’t give Conservatives a pass. If your MP votes for something that you think is bad for your farm, let them know. If they vote a way that you and other constituents don’t agree with, you have to let them know. You have to hold them accountable the same way we are trying to hold the government accountable,” he said.

Even if a farmer isn’t interested in running for federal office, they can still play an big role in who represents their interests in Ottawa, Carey said. One way to do that is to pay attention when federal nominations are held in their riding and get involved in the process.

“Depending on where you are, the real election is often the nomination. If there’s four people putting their name up, make sure the best possible candidate gets the nomination and you have the best possible people representing you in Parliament.”

Another way for farmers to have their voice heard in Ottawa is to join the board of a provincial or federal producer group, Carey said. Those groups often take part in face-to-face meetings with federal officials.

“I work for an organization where our entire policy direction is set by our 10 elected farmer directors. They tell me what the priorities are and then we execute them,” he said. “Even if you’re not running, let the organization that you are paying your check off to know what your priorities and concerns are.”

– Jim Timlick is a reporter for Grainews magazine.

The post Share concerns, build relationships with MPs, lobbyist says appeared first on Alberta Farmer Express.