#FarmToFood: Crops Need to Eat Too!

Bringing the Farm to You!

Our farm memories are fading.  Most of us are two or more generations removed from a family farm.  So how can we stay connected? How can we ask questions and how do we know what questions to ask?

We hope that you’ll join us on our #FarmToFood journey as we share and learn with you about what’s happening on one of the many family farms this growing season.

Farmer Simon will be sharing photos and updates from his farm in Manitoba and we want you to join in the discussion.

Do you have a question about how your food is grown? Have a question for Simon? Leave it in the comment section below.

Just know that today…the crops are growing!

Crops need to eat too!

Feeding the crops on Simon's Farm | www.canolaeatwell.com

Today the amount of food we grow on the farm is much more than we did when my grandpa farmed.

There are a few reasons for the increase:

  • Years of research have gone into selecting the plants that would perform best on the prairies.
  • Farmers know their land better than ever before and can use special farming practices to improve their yield.
  • Pesticides allow us to control weeds, insects and disease that hurt yield.

Feeding with Fertilizer

Producing more food on the farm does require us to feed the plants. No we aren’t given them steak and eggs for breakfast. We use fertilizer to feed the crop. Nitrogen is one of the most common used on our farm.

Just the Right Amount

Applying fertilizer can be a bit tricky, you don’t want too much because that would be bad for the environment and my wallet. Too little would limit how much food we could produce.  In order to avoid either situation we set a target yield. We know how much fertilizer the crop will need to achieve that yield.

Before applying we test the soil to see what nutrients are available. From there we can decide how much to apply. On our farm we use about 60% to 75% of the total amount needed. This way if the crop is injured we have not over applied. Partway through the season, if the crop looks good, we will apply the rest.

We Depend on Healthy Soil

We will continue to find ways to apply only as much fertilizer as the crop needs. Keeping the environment healthy is our number one priority; our farm depends on it.

Eat Well…Simon Ellis  

Farmer Simon Ellis | www.canolaeatwell.comSimon Ellis is a proud farmer, seedgrower and husband. He grows crops in Wawanesa, Manitoba to help feed the world.

Deep farm roots, a passion for fitness, health and getting in the kitchen.

Read more about Simon in Meet Farm Family The Ellises or follow along with him @FarmLifeMB