Mel Erickson has demonstrated that crop rotation is the cornerstone of a successful zero-till system.

“I try to take a long-term approach to rotations,” says Mel who farms with his son Kent near Irma, Alberta. “One crop may not give me a big return in a single year but it will have a benefit that helps me in the overall scheme of things to manage my weeds, to take care of my soil and to make my farm profitable.” 

Kent & Mel Erickson - Irma, AB

The Ericksons farm a mix of heavier loams and lighter, sandy soils in the transition area between brown and dark brown soil zones. In the early 1990’s, Mel was facing difficulties in his canola-wheat-wheat cropping system.

“Weeds like Storksbill were becoming a problem,” says Mel, “And I was losing significant wheat yield because of disease. I also needed to spread my workload out over the summer as I expanded my acres. ”

In 1992, Mel changed the entire farm over to zero-till and adopted a 7-year crop rotation. 

“Zero-till was a huge change,” admits Mel. “None of my neighbours were using this system and I didn’t have much support. But I was determined to improve my soil.

“I did a lot of research, went to farm meetings and learned everything I could about how to make this system successful. Rotating crops, rotating herbicides and rotating the timing of seeding were always key.”

Mel worked with a local agronomist. “We put together a rotation which would alternate broadleaf and grassy crops and manage weeds more effectively,” says Mel. “By growing more and different crops in rotation, I could extend seeding and harvest windows and do most of my own combining without expensive custom help.”

Mel has learned by studying his fields: “I see a lot from the combine that I can’t see by walking through the field,” he says. “I am able to see the fruits of my experiments, flag problems and make changes quickly.”

The Ericksons’ rotation has evolved over the years to the following 8 crops in sequence: flax, oats, early maturing Round-Up Ready canola, winter wheat, peas, Hard Red Spring wheat, Liberty Link canola, and malt barley. 

“There are so many benefits to this diverse rotation,” says Mel, “It helps with maintaining residue, reducing herbicide use and managing weeds and diseases. We never have wheat in our barley or barley in our wheat because of our rotation. Having clean grain makes marketing easier and gives us the option to use our own seed. The crops all go to different types of markets which give us more choices.”

Every crop has a fit for different reasons.

“I grow flax to build up the soil with more organic matter and different soil organisms,” says Mel. “Flax takes advantage of any late summer rain and it can handle fall moisture or a frost without losing quality. We harvest flax last, usually in October after it has had a frost. Flax can also have marketing benefits. One year, I sold my oats for $1.45/bu and my flax for $15/bu.

“Oats is a good competitor with weeds. By seeding late, straight combining and growing oats once in an eight year rotation, I have good quality oats which I can sell or use for seed. With all crops, our seed stays pure longer because of our rotation.”

“Canola is a good cash flow crop because I can move it in the fall,” Mel explains. “It uses different herbicide groups depending on what variety we grow. Round-Up Ready canola is a good clean-up crop. This variety matures early enough for us to harvest in time to seed our winter wheat.”

Winter wheat & canola stubble - May 9, 2007

 “Winter wheat is a fall-seeded crop which helps spread the seeding and harvest workload,” says Mel. “Spraying in the middle of May instead of in June allows us to kill a different spectrum of broadleaf weeds. The competitive nature of winter wheat gives us a clean field where we can seed our field peas. One third of the time we avoid using a wild oat herbicide on winter wheat which is a cost savings. Winter wheat can also be marketed early in the fall to help with cash flow and bin space.

“Field peas improve the tilth of the soil and fix nitrogen to benefit the following crop. They are harvested early and are easy to market.

“Growing HRS wheat on pea stubble takes advantage of the rotational benefits of peas to produce high protein grain. Wheat competes well with weeds after the peas which are relatively non-competitive.

“Barley is also a very good competitor with weeds. Our rotation has reduced disease and eliminated contamination from other cereals giving us the opportunity to produce barley of malt quality. It is harvested later in the year and we have received a premium price for it.”

Alternating between a broadleaf and a cereal helps to manage residue. “I’ve kept all the residues on the land and I have no trouble seeding through it,” says Mel. “In 1994 I bought a TX-66 New Holland combine which has a really good chopper. It cuts up the flax straw well and I can seed through it no problem. Working with custom combiners has proven how important a good chopper is for managing residue.”

The Ericksons have a Seedhawk with 12 inch spacing and a Bourgault seed tank. 

“The individual depth control on the Seedhawk works well in our soil which is mellow from years of zero-till,” Mel explains. “It gives us even emergence, uses less horsepower and leaves the field smooth. 

“We like the Bourgault tank because it is simple to adjust and is easy to clean out. This is important because we are seeding so many different crops.” 

Mel Erickson seeding in the Parkland

 “I seed in a certain order to stagger the date that I spray and to help throw the weeds off kilter,” says Mel. “I start by seeding winter wheat in early September. In the spring I seed peas first followed by early maturing Round-Up Ready canola, Liberty Link canola, then HRS wheat, barley, flax and oats. The early-maturing variety of Round-Up Ready canola needs to go in early to be off in time to seed winter wheat. Flax doesn’t compete well with weeds. I get a good kill on the weeds with a late burn-off and then I seed flax. I lose a bit of yield seeding late but my post-emergent does a better job sprayed later and I combine flax last anyway. I seed my oats last. A late pre-seed burn-off gets a good kill on the wild oats and gives me a nice, clean crop.”

“I have been able to rotate my chemical use and reduce the total dollars I spend on herbicides,” says Mel. “Having a diverse rotation also gives me more flexibility to manage weeds and to avoid the use of residual herbicides. I want to have healthy, productive soil and I feel residual chemicals harm the soil so I do my best to avoid them.”

“I use pre-harvest every year in my flax and peas,” says Mel. “This makes a big difference in controlling thistles, dandelions and hawksbeard. I also do a pre-seed burn-off except for winter wheat and Round-Up Ready canola.

“Weeds are not always being sprayed at the same time on a given field with this rotation and I have seen some weeds disappear entirely from the weed spectrum on my farm. Zero-till has wiped out quackgrass and green foxtail. Thistles and dandelion are very much in check on our farm. The combination of rotation, zero-till and moisture conservation together has helped to control storksbill. It isn’t a big problem on our farm anymore.”

“With diseases or insect pests I’ve adopted a policy of don’t spray if you don’t have a problem,” says Mel. “I try to avoid interrupting the natural cycle of things as much as I can. 

“Spraying insects can sometimes lengthen the life-cycle of pests by killing beneficials or delaying over-population. This can often prolong the problem. I know that nature can often take care of the problem faster than I can by spraying.”
 
“Managing the farm with zero-till and a crop rotation has improved the soil,” says Mel. “I’ve noticed increased earthworm populations and better soil structure. I try to take care of the land as best I can.”

Mel Erickson is convinced of the value of a diverse crop rotation. “I learned the hard way about keeping on top of weeds from my early experience continuous cropping canola-wheat-wheat,” says Mel. “We’ve had a lot fewer problems with weeds and diseases by managing our farm this way. With Kent coming back to the farm, the crops we grow may change, but rotation will always be a priority.

“Recently, we have substituted CPS wheat in place of oats for a better return. We also substitute flax for peas if we have too many hills, rocks or thistles. We try to be flexible enough to make changes where we need to but still maintain diversity in our rotation.”

“There are lots of hassles with cleaning out equipment; storing, handling and marketing so many different crops,” says Mel. “But the benefits make it worth the extra effort.”