In 1915, the homestead on Trevor Buchanan’s farm at Argyle, Manitoba, stood across the road from where it is now. Buchanan, who started farming 12 years ago, is the fourth generation to farm the land. “The previous generations broke the land, which was mainly grass and bush.”
Fifteen years ago, cattle were the primary source of income, but grain in the last six years has put cattle on the back burner. Even so, they currently have 120 head and are farming over 3,000 acres. Buchanan says, “When I came into it, we had about 800 acres of land in min-till and seeded with a discer.”
The farm ballooned from there. New ideas and equipment come with each generation. GPS was introduced in 2003. “We’ve got autosteer on everything now. It’s a big help, but back in the early days, dad or grandpa would ask, ‘What do we need that for?’ but now Dad won’t go to the field without GPS, and he loves autosteer.”
Buchanan says wild oats have a long history on the farm. “Historically, wild oats have been our worst weed problem partly because of the lack of control options. Back in the ’80s, we had Roundup Ready® canola and limited grass control options.”
Buchanan describes their weed spectrum as pretty much the same every year, with the odd weed like cleavers creeping in. “What’s changed is the management. We’re growing Roundup Ready soybeans and LibertyLink® canola. We use Everest® on wheat – that’s a must. We have Group 1 resistance so bad …”
Buchanan says Group 1 resistance showed up in the late ‘90s. “Resistance to Group 1 has steadily progressed. Actually, the first time I encountered resistance was on a farm I managed in 1996, my first year farming with my dad. We used Achieve® on it and it was a write-off. That’s when we found out the problem was resistance.”
Buchanan rotates herbicides and also relies on a min-till system to help him keep weeds under control. He uses a “straight-in” seeding system in the spring and one pass in the fall with ¾-inch openers. “We get better placement and depth control with less soil movement for drier times. Sure, min-till helps with weed control, but we’re out there to seed not to control weeds.”
More acres and more cattle, but the challenges remain firmly in place. “We can’t stay home. I have to go out and work,” says Buchanan. “My dad drives a school bus, so does my mother. I manage a crop inputs dealership. It’s more than a full-time job. It’s busy, but it’s something we had to do to grow and deal with machinery costs. It’s getting close now to where we can maybe stay home, but not quite yet.”
It’s taken plenty of get-up-and-go to keep this fourth-generation family farm going. “We’ve got the off-farm work to increase our income,” he says. “We also seed and swath an additional 400 acres in addition to our own; this year we combined another 600 acres. Our equipment is older, not brand new. We can’t justify the depreciation on new equipment.”
Off-farm jobs plus managing a farming operation don’t leave the family much wiggle room. But once in a while a crop year kicks in that makes Buchanan thank his lucky stars. “Straight up – this year we actually had the perfect year,” he says. “Our crops were just unbelievable. It was a challenge to get them off in the rain, but soil conditions were just about perfect. Only about six miles north, in the Interlake region, it was awfully wet.”
So far, the financial crisis and a drop in wheat prices haven’t taken a toll on the Buchanans. “With off-farm income we haven’t had credit problems,” he says. “We’ve been able to cash-flow a lot of things, which has helped. Markets – when is the right time to sell – well, that’s an ongoing battle.”
He says that bin storage has been a small issue, but in the past couple of years they have addressed that. “Some of the new acres came with bins, so we don’t have to unload as much crop off the combine. As for buying inputs, well, I have the best of both worlds there. At the dealership, we’re always on top of new things. We see what’s working and what’s not on other farms. Not that you want to see something not work for a guy, but as a dealer I see a lot more than most.”
Buchanan says he wants to put his money where his mouth is. “I try new varieties before anyone else does. Since I’m a dealer, I get them a year in advance of anyone else. I do a lot of trials. The new trials take a little bit of time, but in the end, they pay off because we find the right variety for next year or different practices.”
He also plants in the fall, which takes some pressure off their equipment. “We only have one combine so fall planting stretches seeding out. Then we do barley, oats, canola, soybeans and yellow peas and a little bit of spring wheat. Some of the newer crops are soybeans and ryegrass. This will be our fourth year for soybeans, and we’re into our second year with ryegrass.”
Buchanan has identified some opportunities with ryegrass. “It’s breaking up our rotations for weeds. And along with the winter wheat, it really helps with weed control. It’s also breaking the disease cycles and reduces the workload. If we can get 800 acres out of the way before spring, that’s a big deal. It means a lot at seeding time.”
So exactly how does Buchanan handle the time pressures between the farm and the dealership?
“Really good people work with me and for me. I don’t have to babysit them. I can sneak away and get some stuff done. Anyway, it’s only two miles to the field.”
Off hours are spent with his family – his wife, Christine, and children, Alexis, nine, Brooklyn, seven, and Riley, five. Buchanan also has one brother and one sister. “They never had the desire to farm. My brother is an RCMP and my sister is a banker. I’m safe either way. Even in the economic downturn, we’re well protected.”
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In 1915, the homestead on Trevor Buchanan’s farm at Argyle, Manitoba, stood across the road from where it is now. Buchanan, who started farming 12 years ago, is the fourth generation to farm the land. “The previous generations broke the land, which was mainly grass and bush.”
Fifteen years ago, cattle were the primary source of income, but grain in the last six years has put cattle on the back burner. Even so, they currently have 120 head and are farming over 3,000 acres. Buchanan says, “When I came into it, we had about 800 acres of land in min-till and seeded with a discer.”
The farm ballooned from there. New ideas and equipment come with each generation. GPS was introduced in 2003. “We’ve got autosteer on everything now. It’s a big help, but back in the early days, dad or grandpa would ask, ‘What do we need that for?’ but now Dad won’t go to the field without GPS, and he loves autosteer.”
Buchanan says wild oats have a long history on the farm. “Historically, wild oats have been our worst weed problem partly because of the lack of control options. Back in the ’80s, we had Roundup Ready® canola and limited grass control options.”
Buchanan describes their weed spectrum as pretty much the same every year, with the odd weed like cleavers creeping in. “What’s changed is the management. We’re growing Roundup Ready soybeans and LibertyLink® canola. We use Everest® on wheat – that’s a must. We have Group 1 resistance so bad …”
Buchanan says Group 1 resistance showed up in the late ‘90s. “Resistance to Group 1 has steadily progressed. Actually, the first time I encountered resistance was on a farm I managed in 1996, my first year farming with my dad. We used Achieve® on it and it was a write-off. That’s when we found out the problem was resistance.”
Buchanan rotates herbicides and also relies on a min-till system to help him keep weeds under control. He uses a “straight-in” seeding system in the spring and one pass in the fall with ¾-inch openers. “We get better placement and depth control with less soil movement for drier times. Sure, min-till helps with weed control, but we’re out there to seed not to control weeds.”
More acres and more cattle, but the challenges remain firmly in place. “We can’t stay home. I have to go out and work,” says Buchanan. “My dad drives a school bus, so does my mother. I manage a crop inputs dealership. It’s more than a full-time job. It’s busy, but it’s something we had to do to grow and deal with machinery costs. It’s getting close now to where we can maybe stay home, but not quite yet.”
It’s taken plenty of get-up-and-go to keep this fourth-generation family farm going. “We’ve got the off-farm work to increase our income,” he says. “We also seed and swath an additional 400 acres in addition to our own; this year we combined another 600 acres. Our equipment is older, not brand new. We can’t justify the depreciation on new equipment.”
Off-farm jobs plus managing a farming operation don’t leave the family much wiggle room. But once in a while a crop year kicks in that makes Buchanan thank his lucky stars. “Straight up – this year we actually had the perfect year,” he says. “Our crops were just unbelievable. It was a challenge to get them off in the rain, but soil conditions were just about perfect. Only about six miles north, in the Interlake region, it was awfully wet.”
So far, the financial crisis and a drop in wheat prices haven’t taken a toll on the Buchanans. “With off-farm income we haven’t had credit problems,” he says. “We’ve been able to cash-flow a lot of things, which has helped. Markets – when is the right time to sell – well, that’s an ongoing battle.”
He says that bin storage has been a small issue, but in the past couple of years they have addressed that. “Some of the new acres came with bins, so we don’t have to unload as much crop off the combine. As for buying inputs, well, I have the best of both worlds there. At the dealership, we’re always on top of new things. We see what’s working and what’s not on other farms. Not that you want to see something not work for a guy, but as a dealer I see a lot more than most.”
Buchanan says he wants to put his money where his mouth is. “I try new varieties before anyone else does. Since I’m a dealer, I get them a year in advance of anyone else. I do a lot of trials. The new trials take a little bit of time, but in the end, they pay off because we find the right variety for next year or different practices.”
He also plants in the fall, which takes some pressure off their equipment. “We only have one combine so fall planting stretches seeding out. Then we do barley, oats, canola, soybeans and yellow peas and a little bit of spring wheat. Some of the newer crops are soybeans and ryegrass. This will be our fourth year for soybeans, and we’re into our second year with ryegrass.”
Buchanan has identified some opportunities with ryegrass. “It’s breaking up our rotations for weeds. And along with the winter wheat, it really helps with weed control. It’s also breaking the disease cycles and reduces the workload. If we can get 800 acres out of the way before spring, that’s a big deal. It means a lot at seeding time.”
So exactly how does Buchanan handle the time pressures between the farm and the dealership?
“Really good people work with me and for me. I don’t have to babysit them. I can sneak away and get some stuff done. Anyway, it’s only two miles to the field.”
Off hours are spent with his family – his wife, Christine, and children, Alexis, nine, Brooklyn, seven, and Riley, five. Buchanan also has one brother and one sister. “They never had the desire to farm. My brother is an RCMP and my sister is a banker. I’m safe either way. Even in the economic downturn, we’re well protected.”
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