As of today, April 9th, we are officially seeding! The air drill left the yard this afternoon and is currently putting the first seeds of barley into the ground! 

I say ‘let the dust fly’ tongue-in-cheek; our average annual rainfall for our area (the southwest corner of Saskatchewan) is approximately 13 inches (only 7 1/2 inches for our growing season).  To date we have had only 6/10 of rain… needless to say, it is quite dusty (especially when matched with wind speeds of 45 km/h).

Prior to getting in the field with the equipment, we took soil samples.  Soil samples help us to determine what nutrients the soil is depleted in, so we can help keep it healthy.

Today, before the seed could go in the ground, we treated it with Raxil Pro.  This seed conditioner protects the seed from diseases in the s

Porcupine glaring us down

oil.

We also have our hands full of baby calves!  Currently with 5-10 first time moms, we call them first-calf heifers, but they are doing well with some cute bouncy calves to boot!

When we move beyond the world of our farm yard, we can also see lots of other wildlife in bloom and busy with their own spring preparations.

Sharp-tailed grouse dancing for his mate on the lek

Sand-hill cranes taking a break before heading north