Garry Meier P.Ag.
Brandon, Man. Jan 27 to 29, 1997

I farm in a partnership with my wife Bonnie, my brother Glen and his wife Shelley. The farm is located in Northeast Saskatchewan in the Carrot River Valley. Saskatchewan Crop InsuranceÌs Risk area 17 fifteen year yield data indicates that our stubble crops should yield 87% of our summerfallow cropprimarily due to moisture stress. As a point of interest, our farmÌs stubble yields have moved to 105% to120% of area average summerfallow yields since we begain reducing the amount of tillage that we used to establish a crop.

Our operation consists of about 4500 acres of land with about 4100 acres cultivated. We own 90% of our cultivated land base. We grow a variety of crops including wheat, barley, oats, canaryseed, flax, canola, peas, lentils, alfalfa for hay and dehy. alfalfa for seed and have played with small acreages of crops such as borage and trefoil. Our livestock consists mainly of leafcutter bees although I do feed about 100 head of cattle in a feedlot that is not attached to the main farm.

We produce these crops using primarily a direct seeding system in a fairly rigid rotation. Our rotation is a fairly long one. For example, on any given field, the crop history would or will be:

Year #	Crop
1	argentine canola
2	hard red spring wheat
3	peas or lentils
4	flax
5	hard red spring wheat
6	polish canola underseeded to alfalfa for seed or hay
7	alfalfa seed or hay

8 alfalfa seed or hay 9 alfalfa seed or hay 10 cereal-winter or spring 11 argentine canola 12 hard red spring wheat 13 peas or lentils 14 flax Our farming philosophy is to always farm the soil resource rather than farming the markets. The crop sequence on our farm is basically unaffected by market prospects for particular crops. 25% of our annual seeded acreage will be canola, 25% will be pulse crops, 25% will be flax and 25% will be in cereals. Annual seeded crops account for 2/3 of our cultivated acreage with forages covering the other 1/3. We try to avoid fallow on the farm if possible.

We also run a custom farming/land management service on another 4000 plus acres. This enterprise serves the purpose of reducing our machinery investment cost per acre as well as exploiting what I see as an expanding business opportunity in rural North America.

To maximize economic returns to our farm operation we simply strive to produce the most units of product for sale from a given base at the lowest unit cost of production possible. This is more easily done when you concentrate on farming the soil resource. As farmers, we are extremely fortunate in North America to have many tools available to us to accomplish our goal.

We use direct seeding techniques as the cornerstone of higher production per acre. In farming timing is very important. Seeding into untilled ground allows for earlier seeding on those we years and quicker emergence on those dry years. Research has shown that earlier seeded crops generally yield better than later seeded crops. Our farm average yields have continued to rise even though direct seeding ÏwonÌt workÓ in our area. Mid row banding capability on our seeder has also contributed to healthier crop stands and offers us a Ïno riskÓ method of placing all of our fertilizer requirements at the time of seeding. Pre harvest Roundup has improved our harvest timeliness by allowing us to control days to maturity and also to direct cut crops that wer normally swathed. Residue management problems are greatly reduced. Combine operational costs per acre are reduced and grades are generally higher when this technology is used. On our farm, we see the weed control benefits of pre harvest roundup as a side benefit and a bonus.

Lower costs per unit of production is the other half ot he economic equation. The point here is to know your costs and then know how to manage your costs. Thebest tool that we have to manage our production costs is a diverse crop rotation. A well planned crop rotation will solve many of our weed, disease and insect problems. Direct seeding has in most cases given our crops enough of a jump on the weed competition and when combined with a timely roundup burnoff treatment reduced the cost of or eliminated the need for incrop herbicide. We consider preharvest roundup to be an investment rather than a cost of production.

Machinery cost per acre is the area that we continually look for ways to reduce. We do not have a fond attachment to older machines and really appreciate the comfort and the efficiences of the new equipment. Our custom farming oepration has allowed us to operate a fairly new line of equipment while at the same time keep our overall equipment cost per acre at acceptable levels. To succeed in this business you must recognize the difference between a custom operator and someone who will do custom work. We are currently watching from the sidelines the development of the precision farming technology. This technology is leading edge material, plagued by many bugs and currently, I believe a bit expensive in relation to the benefit that it offers to our particular operation. But.....it is technology worth considering.

Anticipating upcoming opportunities or problems and recognizing early warning signals of pending trouble is extremely valuable to farmers regardless of their farm location. Wildlife is becoming more prevalent in our fields. How do I deal with the costs associated with trouble makers such as elk and pocket gophers?

Very few individuals can maintain their proactive edge if they are not challenged in their career. Farmers are no exception. I will close with a quote: ÏIf you think like you have always thought, you are going to get what youÌve always got.Ó Farmers of the 21st century will not survive if they maintain the status quo of yesterday and today. Farmers must take up the challenge to make agriculture a diverse, dynamic and environmentally friendly industry of which we can all be proud while at the same time maximizing our economic returns.