Ernie Sirski of Sirski Farms, located west of Dauphin, was the gracious host for the 2026 On Farm Research Tour co-hosted by Fertilizer Canada, Manitoba Pulse & Soybean Growers, Manitoba Canola Growers, and Manitoba Crop Alliance on Tuesday, July 28. The temperature hoovered around 30 C, but the enthusiastic crowd and presenters, made for a great morning of learning.
Ernie’s sister began the morning by explaining the history of the Sirski family and their farm.
Simon North, an agronomist with Fertilizer Canada, travelled from Edmonton, AB to be with us and explain about the work that Fertilizer Canada does.
The attentive crowd of producers and agronomists listened to the discussion on tile drainage.
Another picture of the attendees, enjoying the presentations.
Ochre River area farmer and MPSG Director Kevin Thompson chats with Manitoba Agriculture’s Soil Fertility Specialist Marla Riekman, in front of the tile drainage display.
Mitchell Timmerman, Manitoba Agriculture’s Agri-Ecosystems Specialist was the moderator for the tile drainage panel discussion.
Marla, Kevin, and Ernie answered questions, and explained to the crowd about the benefits they have experienced with tile drainage, how it improves drainage, and how tile drainage impacts yields and fertility decisions.
Megan Westphal, Manitoba Agriculture’s Soil Health Specialist explained to the crowd about the soil characteristics visible in the soil pit, dug near the edge of Ernie’s soybean field.
Farmers listened intently to the soil discussion.
Everyone wanted to see the soil pit up close.
MPSG’s On Farm Network Agronomist Chris Forsythe, talked to the crowd about the On Farm Network trials that MPSG is currently conducting and has conducted since 2012. He gave a shout out to Tone Ag for all their hard work in coordinating with farmers to establish these trials.
He shared how soybean crop rotation history is a key to making inoculant decisions. All On Farm Network double inoculant trial fields have had a history of a minimum of two previous soybean crops. Ernie’s soybean trial in this field was comparing a treatment of a single soybean inoculant (liquid on the seed) to a double soybean inoculant treatment (liquid on seed and dry granular). This field had been soybeans at least three times in the last 12 years.
In the Parkland region, there have been 14 double versus single soybean inoculant On Farm Network trials in fields with a soybean history since 2018. Thirteen trials showed no statistical yield difference with double inoculant. Only one trial showed a yield increase with double inoculant, and that was in 2021 and we saw a 2.2 bushel per acre increase. Nodulation ratings were the same for both double and single inoculated soybeans and the nodulation was agronomically sufficient for both.
Only in that trial, double inoculation resulted in increased profit per acre compared to single inoculation, but 2021 also had 44 per cent of normal precipitation in May, 82 per cent of normal for June, and 41 per cent of normal from July and then had 141 per cent of normal precipitation in August!
Wendy McDonald, MPSG’s Production Agronomist for Western Manitoba, spoke about white mould and fungicide applications in soybeans, and cited that according to 71 On Farm Network trials province wide which compared fungicide applied to no fungicide applied – only 15 per cent of these trials showed a yield increase with fungicide. The average yield increase was only 1.3 bushels per acre. Thanks to these independent replicated trials, done field scale with the farmer’s own machinery, we have leaned that in only eight per cent of these trials did the yield benefit outweigh the cost of fungicide and application.
The tour moved amongst 3 of Ernie’s nearby fields. Everyone enjoyed the air conditioning break traveling from field to field too.
Manitoba Canola Grower’s Research & Extension Coordinator Kendall Baker and Agronomy Specialist Lindsey Brooks talked about various canola field trials and important insects such as cabbage seedpod weevil and diseases such as verticillium stripe.
Then it was double Andrew time. Andrew Enns, Research & Production Coordinator, and Andrew Hector, Agronomy Extension Specialist- Cereal Crops from Manitoba Crop Alliance, spoke about their PGR trial and the types of lodging that cereal crops experience.
We all enjoyed hosting everyone in the Parkland! Huge thanks to Ernie and family!