b"was distributed by SeCan. Its the only Ag Canada hybrid canola variety that was ever registered, he explains.The experimentation has paid off with Van Roessel having been able to expand his crop rotation enough to only have seed production with no cash crops. ExperimentationNot all Van Roessel's seed growing experiments have worked out. He tried growing barley once and discovered he didnt get a yield advantage growing it with irrigation compared to non-irrigated land. He also tried to grow hybrid sunflower seeds the past two years, but the jury is still out on if hell try again.We would have had a successful crop I think both years had there not been a problem with the seed that we planted. That was kind of an interesting learning experience to be involved in and there's a good chance we might do it again in a year or two with some new hybrids, he explains.Van Roessel and his daughters were surprised by how many wild sunflowers have appeared in neighbours fields, coolies and pitch banks during their foray into sunflower seed production. Every wild sunflower had to be removed for their hybrid sunflower fields to pass inspection with the Canadian Seed Growers Association.One crop Van Roessel has seen success with and has added to his crop rotation permanently is hemp. Initially he wasnt A swathed field of irrigated hemp seed on Specialty Seeds Ltd. in Bow Island,even interested in growing hemp. He had reached out to Friesen, Alta. PHOTO: WILL VAN ROESSEL a pedigreed seed grower and president of K.D. Friesen Farm Corporation in Laird, Sask., to see if he could help him source some red lentils to grow. FRONTIERIt was after three conversations, I actually convinced him to start growing some hemp seed. I had had some friends of mine who live in the Gem and Rosemary areas in Alberta grow seed Seed Cleaning Co-op Ltd. but it never been grown in the Bow Island area. And so, he was Equipment Services Processing the first guy to grow hemp there, and now theres probably 20,000 Wind and Screens Pedigreed Seed Cereals acres a year there, Friesen explains. Friesen is currently the Indent Commercial Cleaning Oil Seeds Canadian sales rep for International Hemp.Gravity Table Human Consumption Pulses At first Van Roessel grew a small field of hemp seed, after De Bearder Dockage Cleaning Hemp finding he liked it, he started increasing acres, even growing it for commercial production at one time. The varieties he hasFarmer Owned Since 1980grown yield well in his area, and as he grows hemp under irrigation, it has given him an edge on seed production with Ken Wiebe higher yields. 780-928-3042 Volunteer hemp isn't really a problem in subsequent crops. Box 336 So that makes rotations easier, we don't have to worry about La Crete, Alberta controlling our volunteer hemp in between years, he [email protected] He has found the biggest hurdle with hemp seed production is harvest. Van Roessel explains he has to adjust his equipment more for it compared to when harvesting other crops.Hemps a crop that requires someone who's really diligent and pays attention to details. And I just got a sense that (Will) was someone who would do a really good job, and that turned out to be the case, Friesen says.For Van Roessel he plans to keep on growing hemp and his other seed crops, while being open to trying out new crops on his farm moving forward.Ashley Robinson26seed.ab.ca"