Why we are going to Australia

Controlled Traffic Farming Alberta (CTFA) was created to assess controlled traffic farming in Alberta conditions. Much of the interest by farmers was created when Robert Ruwoldt, an Australian no-till and controlled traffic farmer spoke at Direct Seeding Advantage in Alberta in 2008 and FarmTech in 2010.

Funding and support for CTFA comes from the Alberta Crop Industry Development Fund, who is also the major supporter and organizer of our trip. As well we receive financial and in-kind support from Alberta Canola Producers Commission, Alberta Barley Commission, Albera Pulse Growers and Alberta Winter Wheat Producers Commission. The Agricultural Research and Extension Council of Alberta is our managing partner.

Australia has been developing and practicing CTF for over 15 years. So we thought that rather than ask all the same questions and make most of the same mistakes it would be profitable to visit experienced farmers, manufacturers and professionals in Australia and learn from them. We hope we can jumpstart the learning process here in Alberta.

There are four things we want to accomplish on the trip:

1. Learn about the economic and production risk/benefits of CTF
2. Learn about various technical aspects of converting to CTF and running with CTF
3. Review and study their CTF training materials for growers
4. Learn how CTF evolved from an organizational, extension and research perspective.

Eleven of us leave from Calgary November 27 and will return December 12. Most of our time will be spent in Queensland and Victoria states. Once we get on the ground we plan to update the blog each day, reporting on what we see and learn.

If you have any questions you would like use to ask please let us know by posting a comment.