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Text Box: mum of 45 meters away from roads, or at least 30 meters from buildings, livestock pens, etc. Rows of trees around a dugout can trap large amounts of snow. Snow trapping is especially important during years when there is minimal runoff. The actual amount of snow trapped by the shelterbelt depends on snowfall, fetch distance and density of trees. Generally, every 100 meters of caragana shelterbelt is capable of capturing up to 300,000 liters of melt water. Once you determine the purpose for trees, make a drawing of your plan. Keep in mind questions like: Are the rows where you want them? Is the spacing correct, both between the rows and the trees? Can you farm around them? Is there room for future expansion? Next order the trees. The trees are free of charge to all Alberta producers who own at least 39 acres of land. There is no application fee, but there is a small shipping cost. Trees can be ordered from June 1 until the middle of March each year. Tree seedling will arrive around the middle of April. One of the main reasons that trees do not establish is competition from weeds. To help with this problem, PFRA is now offering the Shelterbelt Enhancement Program (SEP). The SEP will provide plastic mulch and a machine to apply the plastic mulch at no charge to producers who qualify for trees. Plastic mulch will prevent weeds from growing in the tree row. Text Box: Applications for the SEP are accepted from June 1 to Sept 30 each year. Applications for both the tree program and the SEP are available from your local Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada– PFRA office or on line. Information from Don George PFRA Agro-forestry Specialist at 780-632-2919. Insects, Diseases and Drought in Shelterbelt Trees: Watch for spruce sawfly in spruce trees. They should be here right now. These larva are green with an orange head. They will eat the needles and the evergreen trees will start to turn brown on the new growth. They should be controlled by hand picking or spraying with various insecticides. Remember it is extremely important to water all trees in the fall, especially evergreens. They need the water because the needles give off moisture all winter long. If there is not enough moisture available the needles will turn brown and fall off. Feed Testing: Remember to do feed testing this fall in order to know what quality of feed you have. As you know, the economics in the cattle industry is very tight right now, so it is important to get the most out of you feed inputs. Call me if you have any questions at :780-753-6421 Text Box: Diamond Back Moths: The moth count in our local traps is up this past week. Check your canola for Diamondback larva. These larva are usually pale green and wriggle back quickly when touched. To count the larva take a 50cmX50cm area and pull all the canola plants. Beat the plants, you have pulled, vigorously to dislodge the larva. Count the number of larva visible and multiply that value by 4. This will give you the number of larva per square meter. Do this at least 5 times in various places in the field. Calculate the average number of larva. If there are 200-300 larva/ square meter squared you should consider spraying. Planning Shelterbelt Trees: Properly planned shelterbelts provide many benefits to farm families. They reduce wind, control blowing snow, protect livestock, buildings and gardens, trap snow for dugouts and sequester carbon. Shelterbelts also provide habitat for wildlife and beautify the farmyard. Like any project, the secret to success is planning. You will need to prepare the soil for planting the trees one year in advance. Maintenance for the first several years is necessary to be sure that the trees establish properly. It is important that you determine what you want the shelterbelt for. Is it to protect the yard, livestock, soil, trap snow for dugouts, or to attract wildlife? If the shelterbelt is to be used to protect livestock, buildings and roads, keep in mind that the snow will drift some distance away from the trees. Plant the shelterbelt a miniText Box: Projects: If anyone is interested in trying plastic mulch for shelter belts , we are looking for a cooperator to try the plastic mulch out for project purposes. We are currently seeking cooperators who are interested in developing their shallow spring fed water systems. We are also looking for cooperators with abandoned water wells for reclamation. If you are interested in any of these projects please contact me at the M.D. office. 753-2368 Text Box: Pests: Remember to keep a close eye on grasshoppers, beet webworms, and diamond back moths in your crops. Diamond Back moths are now starting to increase in numbers in the crops . Weeds: The ASB crew has been keeping up with the weeds in the M.D, as we are still scouting out weeds and spraying. Please contact us if you see any weeds in your area such as Toadflax, Absinth, or any other noxious weeds. Programs: Just a reminder of the water program available. Forms for this program are Text Box: available through the Alberta Agriculture “Ropin the web”, website. If you don’t have access to the internet feel free to contact the staff at the M.D, we will be happy to assist you. Feed Testing:

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