MCDC to host 2023 Field Day in August

By Casper Wehrhahn Neepawa Banner & Press

The Manitoba Crop Diversification Centre (MCDC) has an informative day planned. The Carberry-based agricultural centre has arranged for its annual Field Day event to take place on Aug. 9. The Field Day is a time to provide producers with updates on the variety of research projects the MCDC has been conducting.

Registration will begin day-of at the offsite at 8:45 a.m., with the event proper starting at 9:00 a.m. The MCDC off-site is located two miles north of the junction of Highway No. 1 and 5. Signs will also be posted to aid in directing attendees.

The first segment of the event features a variety of presentations from speakers Amy Unger, Kayla Moore, Haider Abbas and Vikram Bisht. For this portion, those in attendance will hear about small plot and field scale potato research, an overview of an Assiniboine Delta Aquifer groundwater recharge study, the use of mustard as a biofumigant (natural fumigant) for potatoes and herbicide injury in potatoes.

Mustard as a fumigant is one of the MCDC’s ongoing projects and was also highlighted at the 2022 Field Day. Many strains of mustard have fumigation properties and can allow for a producer to naturally overcome soil-borne diseases and pests such as Vetticillium, Rhizoctonia, Fusarium, Pythium, Sclertinia and common scab.

The 2022 presentations clarified items such as seeding dates, when the mustard should be incorporated into the soil and more based on the results available at that time. Additionally, that a variety of strains were being used to determine which would be most effective. These strains included Caliente, Cutlus, Andante, AAC Brown 18 and a male sterile hybrid.

Following these presentations, the Field Day will be moved to the MCDC on-site at 10:30 a.m. for the remainder of the event. This second session will have a focus on crop diversification and potato rotational options. Speakers Marla Reikman, Elmer Kaskiw, Dennis Lange and Amir Farooq, James Frey and Shauna McKinnon will provide a soil pit demo, information on farm to market opportunities, teff grass, greenhouse gas management and peas, protein and profitability.

Once all presentations have concluded, all are welcome to enjoy a lunch sponsored by McCain Foods Canada.

The Neepawa Tigers made two donations of funds raised via their cancer fundraising game recently. Top photo: The Tigers presented a cheque of $600 to the Central Plains Cancer Services to help with the mileage costs for the volunteer drivers in the Neepawa Area. Bottom photo: A cheque of $2,800 was presented to the Neepawa Chemo Unit to cover the cost of a treatement chair. They also purchased an ice maker for the unit.