My first snow storm and it is a very different experience I can tell you. We are in Moose Jaw staying with Nuffield ' s Kelvin and Shelly Meadows who have been kind enough to host us for a few days, it has been great to bring Sue back here to visit . We travelled from Indian Head to a town called Melita to speak with a guy there that runs a research station that has been studying the benefits of intercropping , they have also shown with there work that a combination of crops, ie, shallow and deep rooted do complement and promote productivity. After Melita we travelled to Midale to visit a farmer who has been intercropping for a few years, his results are very compelling , he is not only reducing inputs, he is achieving better productivity and quality through crop combinations. For example with field peas and canola , the peas compete for sunlight therefore climbing onto canola which then stops lodging of the peas, resulting in a cleaner harvest,( harvester front not on the ground) and better seed quality due to seed not coming into contact with dirt.
You may ask how does this relate to sugarcane? What has become clear is that there is a great many interactions happening below the surface, everyone I have met has shared this belief, so for me it is finding out what will add to a sugarcane plant in my climate. The principals are the same.
It's so good to read that,as well as travelling "the world",taking Sue to "Hollywood" experiencing "full on" snow storms,staying at luxury Bed and Breakfasts with awesome people,you have been looked after by other Nuffield scholars and have been able to gather valuable information that you could put into practice in your own farming... and with all this already done,I hope the best is yet to come.
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