Research station tour showcases ravages of flooding, winter kill

Dozens of district residents hopped on the tractor wagon Monday to tour Emo’s research station and learn about what is, and isn’t, growing well this year.
“The canola has been underwater more than overwater. There’s been some fairly major washouts” said research station manager Kim-Jo Bliss, who was joined by OMAFRA livestock specialist Barry Potter.
The hybrid poplar section of the tour sparked the most interest.
“There were seven or eight students here planting,” said Bliss. “We planted about 9,000 trees in 10 acres at Voyageur Panel.
“We need to secure another site of 10 acres [for another three-year study],” she said, adding it would be preferable to find a site close to the research station.
“We literally planted the trees up to our knees in mud. One of the summer students kept getting stuck,” Bliss joked.
The older trees are doing really well, she said. “You can see how much they’ve grown.”
Weatherwise, Bliss noted, there have been 488 mm of rain since April 1, affecting many trials at the station.
“The yellow mustard is gone down the Rainy River,” she said. “Some of [the other trials] look terrible because of the way the rain fell. Of everything at the research station, barley is in the worst shape.”
Many people were on the tour for the first time, like Emo Reeve Russ Fortier, who came to learn a bit more about agriculture.
“Since I’ve been reeve, I haven’t had a chance to get out to the research station,” said Fortier.
Others, like Larry Lamb, owner of Purity Farms and president of the Rainy River District Soil and Crop Improvement Association, came out and ended up sharing their expertise on topics, including soybeans.
“After the rain, you should have seen the fields underwater,” he said, adding that he still can’t believe how well they’re thriving in the area.
“There is lots of potential [for soybeans] in this area,” said Bliss.
There’ve been research station trials of chickpeas but “you need a well-drained field,” said Bliss, something that hasn’t been available to them this summer. Chickpeas need to be hand-weeded.
Other plants visited included clover evaluations and reed canary trials.
“When you see it, you want to eat it,” enthused Bliss.
The reed canary, a robust coarse perennial, is also flourishing at the station as a switch grass trial.
“Red canary is doing very well for us,” Potter said, of the New Liskeard trials. “It’s nice to grow these nice grasses, but you have to treat it differently.”
Tall fescue, a deep-rooted perennial grass with vigorous growth in the spring and fall, is usually found growing in low, damp pastures and wet meadowlands.
“It’s a super grass for winter grazing,” said Potter. “It yields like crazy in a pasture.”
The spring wheat trials have potential, Bliss said, but added that “we’re such cattle country now.”
There have been more people visiting the research station for the tour in the past, but with the late spring, many farmers were too busy haying to attend.
Bliss suggested that those interested should visit the station later in the summer to see the crop growth.