Our farm has been a no-till farm since 1989. We do not use tillage as a method of weed control. We are harrowing in the fall for straw management and are considering harrowing in the spring for seed bed preparation on oil seeds.

Our fertility program would be described as "high". We use different rates for crops based on field history, soil testing, toxicity and experience.

Crop rotation is clearly an important part of our farming plan. It however is not as regimented as it once was and we are looking for ways to adapt new strategies into our program.

The best way to for me to explain the integration would be to look at our plans as they change from year to year in our crop rotations.

We have in the past worked with a fairly strict 8 year rotation which was cereal, peas, cereal, canola, cereal, peas, cereal, flax. We have recently been more flexible in our rotations and are trying some oil seeds back to back as well as some cereals back to back. One rotation could be Cereal, Cereal, Peas, RS Wheat, Flax, Canola.

Looking at the last rotation Our first crop would either be Winter Wheat or Barley. We try to seed our Winter wheat into standing stubble from the previous Canola crop which would have been seeded as early as possible the preceding year to allow early harvest and thus early seeding of the winter wheat. For our Winter wheat we would place with the seed 50 lbs/a actual P, 12 lb/a actual N and 12 lb/a actual K. Just prior to freeze up we would apply an additional 100 lb/a actual N and 12 lb/a actual S. The late fall application would be done with a low disturbance applicator such as a spoke wheel liquid unit or with a disk banding unit using a blend of NH3 and liquid. If we are unable to apply the N, S, fertilizer in the fall it would be applied in the spring as early as possible. The total fertility package would be N -112, P – 50, K – 12, S – 12. The P in this case would be beyond the requirements of the crop but would be applied in anticipation of not being able to apply sufficient P with following oil seed crops.

Following the winter wheat with Barley we would harrow the wheat stubble to manage the residue. We would attempt to do this soon after the winter wheat was harvested both for better straw management and to encourage germination of winter wheat volunteers. In preparation for the Barley crop we would band NH3 in the fall at 100 lb/a actual N. The Barley would be sown mid May of the following year after a burnoff. The fertility package at seeding would be 50 lb/a actual P again more than required but in anticipation of low P application in oil and pulse years. N at seeding would be 12 lbs/a. The winter wheat and Barley could be interchanged in the rotation depending on seeding opportunities for winter wheat in the fall.

In the third year of the rotation we would grow peas. In order to prepare for peas we would again manage our residue by harrowing possibly two times in the fall. As our O till soils mature we are finding for oil and pulse crops following cereals the need to firm our soils up to encourage even and strong germination. For our peas we would apply 25 lb/a actual P with the seed and we would use Tag Team granular inoculant to encourage uptake of previously applied P and natural P in the soil.

We like to follow our peas with RS wheat. We are able to reduce our N requirements because of the N fixing of the peas. We would generally feel we gain one lb

of N for each bushel of peas produced. We would not harrow after harvest on pea ground but would apply approx 50 lb/a NH3 late in the fall. There is some disturbance with our NH3 applicator which has narrow 5/8 in openers on 16 in centres and 3 bar tine harrows. We use the opportunity of low natural residue from peas which leaves a darker mellow soil at the surface to apply Avedex granuals. We feel the minor tillage caused by this unit aids in incorporating the Avedex and we have seen excellent control of wild oats with a group 8 herbicide. At seeding we would again apply 50 lb/a actual P, 20 lb/a actual N and 15 lb/a actual S. We have been consistently producing high protein RS wheat with our fertility program. We believe the peas contribute to this because of the later release of fixed N.

Following the RS wheat we will harrow for residue management in the fall and possibly in the spring prior to seeding the flax. Again as I have already said we are finding it hard to get good emergence of oil seed crops in heavy thatch cereal stubble and are needing to find ways to improve the emergence. For our flax we would apply in the late fall NH3 at 50-60 lb/a actual N. At seeding we would apply 20 lb/a actual P not specifically for the flax crop but as P management for all crops. We feel there is little benefit of P in the first year for flax and that flax will better respond to P applied in previous years under a P program. Following our flax crop we will usually harrow the flax residue and burn the rows. In the past we have applied Avedex to flax ground but have not seen as good control of wild oats in the following year as with peas stubble.

Canola after flax has been a positive experience for us. We have seen good emergence and quick cover and good stands in canola following flax. We apply approximately 95 lb/a actual N in the fall as NH3 on the flax stubble. At seeding we apply 30 lb actual P and 7 lb actual N as 12-51 down the tube with the seed. We broadcast 16 lb of N and 18 lb of S as 21-0-0-24 using the third tank on our air seeder at the time of seeding. The actual applied analysis would be 118 N, 30 P, 18 S for canola.

Looking at our overall 6 year fertility program we are applying an average of 80 lb N, 37.5 lb P, 2 lb K and 7.5 lb S to the acre of nutrients per year. Our soil tests consistently show as being deficient to marginal in N and P with high values for K and frequently low S in the top 6 inches of

soil. Our crop insurance data says we produce at 1.07 times the area average for RS wheat, 1.18 for Barley, 1.09 for canola, 1.04 for flax and 1.24 for peas. There is insufficient data to compare our winter wheat to area averages but we have averaged about 62 bu/a over the few years we have been growing the crop.

To sum up tillage is not used as a method of weed control on our farm. If harrowing is tillage then it is for straw management and seedbed firming. Our fertility program is driven by both the crops we grow and by the crops we have grown. It can best be described as a program based on all years and not just the current year. There are many parts to the rotation plan not mentioned in this summary such as chemical and seeding date rotations. They play a very important part as well and can not be over looked.