Events

Here at GRO we always have a lot of exciting things happening! 2023 has been a busy year with much more to come. Below is a brief summary of some of our past events. To see upcoming events, click here.

June 19, 2023:  Greg Judy Pasture School

July 17, 2023: GRO Forage Tour and BBQ – The evening was enjoyed by all who joined us to hear more about the ongoing trials at the forage site. Thank you for taking the time to look at the regional silage trials, intercropping of perennial cereals and legumes, cover crop cocktails, alternative forage crop varieties, and deep rooted cover crop / annual crop rotation plots. Results of the polycropping trials for silage/seed will be available this fall.

July 20, 2023: Pulse and Oilseed Field Day – What a great day! It was informative and interesting for the many producers in attendance thanks to speakers Mark Cutts (the C4RProgram), Sheri Strydhorst (pre-harvest intervals), Bijon Brown (AB Canola advocacy initiatives), Shane Strydhorst (AB Pulse initiatives), Robyne Davidson (pulse, particularly lupine, research), and GRO staff Kabal Singh and Jay Byer (plot agronomy). Special thanks go to Forward Seed Farm (J&D Nanninga), Neerlandia Co-op, and Rick’s Pedigreed Seed (R Meuller) for providing land for the plots we toured.  We hope to continue testing varieties of canola, fababeans, peas, lentils, and lupines for area producers to consider. Thank you to AB Pulse Growers and the AB Canola Producers Commission for supporting the day.

July 31, 2023: FP Genetics Field Tour & BBQ  – Collette Prefontaine shared the lastest on FP Genetics seed lines. Seeing the varieties growing under local conditions gives producers insight on how they may produce on their own farms. Special thanks to Colin Felstad for hosting the gathering at the end of the tour.

August 1, 2023: AgSmart Olds – There was so many things to see and learn about during this two day event. With everything from automated equipment to field plots, fencing equipment to the latest in carbon capture measuring, financing to the latest in data capture and record keeping, and more, there was something for everyone. If you want to learn more about the research being done in the province and what is coming down the pipe for tech, this is worth checking out.

Aug 9, 2023: GRO Cut the Crop Tour-

There was a lot to see on this cool damp morning.  The annual Regional Variety Trials (RVT), oat trials, POGA oat plots, local wheat variety trial plots, AB Grains and SeCan demo plots, Olds College barley and triticale trials, breeders oat trials, and some seed treatment and foliar treatment trials fill the site.  Not only did we get a quick rundown on all of the varieties that are part of the RVTs, we also heard about what’s new at FCDC, lodging in barley, use of PGRs, and the latest weed research. At lunch we were also able to test the processing of two varieties of barley using the same recipe and malting process thanks to FCDC and the Olds College teaching brewery program.

It was gratifying to hear from industry experts that the work of GRO is being well-done, and that it is appreciated.  Thank you to all those who spent part of their day with us. We appreciate the support of the local producers, as well as those funders and researchers that make the work possible.

Aug 10, 2023: SeCan Field Day – Trent Whiting shared the latest on SeCan varieties and what can be expected from them under local growing conditions. Seeing what can be expected by looking at side by side plots is valuable to producers making seeding decisions for the future.

August 16, 2023: GRO Pasture Walk