b'REGEN AG VOICES| SUPPORTED BY: Stopping Disappearing SoilReducing soil erosion is the goal for Neil and James Bareman on their potato farm in southern Alberta. BY: ASHLEY ROBINSONFARMING IN SOUTHERN Alberta isnt always easy. There are winds that are the strength of hurricanes, temperatures that bounce up and down, early fall frosts and winters without snow. The wild conditions can cause all sorts of problems but for farmers it means disappearing topsoil.Its wind erosion, we have variable soil types here in the south, Terence Hochstein, executive director of the Potato Growers of Alberta, explains in a phone interview. We get the Chinook winds that blow through here numerous times during the winter. And if you dont have good ground cover, then the soil starts to move.On Bar 9 Farms in Grassy Lake, Alta., brothers Neil and James Bareman are working hard to try to stop that erosion. The potato farmers have taken a mixed approach to stopping their soil from disappearing.I dont think potatoes can be grown without some sort of tillage. Our focus is improving our soils, especially in the rotational years, and then really focusing on not having erosion during the potato growing year, Neil says in a phone interview.For them, the erosion control starts in their rotational years, the two run a six-year rotation which includes swapping fields with neighbours. Along with potatoes they grow hybrid canola, durum wheat and perennial grass seed, all of which they practice minimum or zero tillage on. When heading into a potato growing year on a field, they try to plant a cover cropwhich doesnt always happen depending on when the first frost hits.For cover crops, the two usually plant a fall rye as they find its hardy against their winter conditions, providing a good cover A potato crop that was planted on a field where perennial ryegrass come spring in April. If they get warmer temperatures in Januaryhad grown for the previous two years on Bar 9 Farms in Grassy Lake, and February, it will green up and continue to grow in lowAlta. The soil is extremely mellow and has excellent water holding temperatures. capacity.PHOTO: BAR 9 FARMSThis winter we had some pretty extreme winds in January and February. The late seeded cover crops in Alberta didntThats been a real benefit on our farm going into the grass do anything because they were too small, James explains in aseed production because it leaves the soil in really nice shape. phone interview. Neil adds that anything planted after Sept. 15Going into potatoes now after, theres really good soil tilth after struggles to get established in time for winter.the grass seed production, James explains.They plan their harvest schedule based on which fields areThe grass seed harvest schedule also works well for them as most susceptible to erosion so that they can get cover cropsits harvested at the start of August before the other crops on the planted on them in time.farm. One of the big changes they made on their farm was starting toIt isnt easy though finding what works best for them to stop grow perennial grasses for seed production a few years ago. Thesoil erosion and for the most part Neil says its been a lot of trial grass seed is first established under a cereal crop and then growsand error.for a year before its harvested, its then usually grown for anotherWhen trying new things, you are going to have successes and year or two before its plowed under. The grass seed productionfailures. We all do need to be better, he says. We need to do helps to build their soil matter and water infiltration. better with holding that soil down in the early spring.56SPUDSMART.COM Summer 2022'