b" the majority of those were located in the southern portion of the province. A preliminary survey was completed in 2019 with a full survey happening in 2020, and results published in 2021. The survey was co-ordinated by Yvonne Lawley, assistant professor in the department of plant science at the U of M, and Callum Morrison, a master of science student at the U of M.The basic statistics on cover crops for Alberta from the survey included: 84 per cent of respondents grew a full season cover crop37 per cent of respondents grow shoulder season cover crops Barley was the top cover crop grown in Alberta The most common cover crops planted in Alberta include clovers, oats, and peasAcross the Prairies 53 per cent of farmers purchased their cover crop seed from a specialized dealerOne third of farmers on the Prairies grow their own cover crop seedThe data also showed that a lot of farmers in Alberta are making cover crop blends to grow. While 30 per cent of farmers across the Prairies were growing just one species of cover crops, 27 per cent grew mixes of two to three species.As we went further west in the provinces, we saw more things like farmers were more likely if they were going to be sowing a short season cover crop to start it earlier as an inter-crop. Part of that might have been to get around some of the moisture issues in the fall that we would experience in those regions, MorrisonA radish cover crop planted in southern Alberta. PHOTO: STAMP SEEDSsays in a Zoom interview.For the most part, farmers across the Prairies are similar in their cover cropping practices, further east though that isnt theIn southern Alberta here, we have a big problem with wind case. There was also a survey done of farmers in Ontario, whicherosion. And that's kind of why a lot of guys have started getting is where Morrison and Lawley noticed changes. In Ontario,into it, they've started to see their topsoil blown away, and have farmers primarily plant winter wheat and red clover. started to realize that there is ways to combat this, Blair Balog, I'd say that would be one of the main trends towards Alberta,seed sales specialist with Stamp Seeds, explains in a phone is that just a lower percentage of our respondents grew shortinterview.season cover crop, Morrison adds. Stamp Seeds sells a variety of cover crop seed options, Lawley found that the data showed farmers who are earlyranging from the more traditional options such as barley, oats, adopters of cover crops, are fairly representative of coverwinter wheat, fall rye and fall triticale to more speciality crops. cropping practices across the Prairies.Speciality cover crops include buckwheat, various clover types, What are the windows that farmers have to put that shoulderradishes, and faba beans. Balog adds that you can do a blend season cover crop in? Or what crop do they follow if they'rewith some of these cover crops, such as mixing a clover and going to be growing a full season cover crop for grazing? And soradish together, which will enhance your soil health.that's where we see sort of the regional differences between theStamp Seeds produces the traditional cover crop seeds different provinces and sort of what are the most dominant cropsthemselves, and work with Imperial Seed in Manitoba to bring in those rotations that are short, she says in a Zoom interview. in some of the more specialty seeds to sell.The survey also found that 80 per cent of Prairie farmers areBalog says usually the supply of cover cropping seed is pretty planting cover crops in order to build their soil health. Whengood in Alberta, but he does recommend farmers to plan ahead looking closer at how farmers are doing that it was found theyreif they want to plant cover crops.focusing on increasing soil organic matter and keeping livingPlanning and ordering ahead means there's less risk and less roots in the soil. decisions made based on whats available. If you plan ahead, we can find what best fits for each farmer and each timeline. Finding Cover Crop SeedDepending on when they want to seed it, if it's let's say a late fall, At Stamp Seeds in Enchant, Alta. they sell cover cropping seeds.then there's certain types of crops that we know that we'll be The seed growers started selling them as they wanted to giveable to get in that will be able to get enough growth, he adds.farmers, along with themselves, different options to enhanceStamp Seeds works with farmers to try and find a cover soil health and combat the soil erosion that is common incropping option that will work best for them, Balog says.southern Alberta.Ashley Robinson56seed.ab.ca"