Agricultural research station continues to benefit area farmers

THUNDER BAY — The Lakehead University Agricultural Research Station continues to point to new approaches for area farmers.

Under the direction of research station director Tarlok Singh Sahota, work is being done to study new fertilizers and soil deficiencies in order to get better yields from crops and to pass that information along to the region's farmers. 

The research station held its annual summer tour in early August.

It takes three years of testing and crop seasons to see if a new product or method is actually viable for the region's farming community. 

Sahota said it's good to have farmers visit the research station. 

"Farmers come here on a tour and can come and see what we're doing because seeing is believing," he said. "Once they see something good is happening here, they know because they are in the area, their farms are not very far from here, and whatever happens and applies here will work well on their farms also."

Andrew Dean, the university's vice-president of research and innovation, said farmers are quick to adapt. 

"The farmers appreciate the fact that this station is here," Dean said. "The farmers are very bright and quick at adopting the new techniques that increase the yield and economy of their crops, and that's been the history of this station to provide that expertise."

With recent studies applied on real farms, some crops have garnered more yield than expected. 

"Farmers have gotten nearly one metric ton extra yield per hectare, which means $1,000 extra dollars of product per hectare as opposed to $400 dollars per hectare," Sahota said.

This year, the agricultural research station has added around 20 new crop varieties, and they are testing a new nitrogen fertilizer and two new bio-products on their testing crops.

— TBnewswatch