FARM FACTS

CROPS GROWN ON FARMS

OILSEEDS are grown for the oil that is contained in the seed. Canola, mustard, flax, and sunflowers are oilseed crops.

FLAX

Flax is an oilseed crop grown for seed and fibre. Flax oil is used in paint, varnish, linoleum, linen cloth and other products. Napkins, towels, sheets and clothing are made of linen. People eat flax in bread, cereal, crackers and energy bars. Flax has important nutrients. Flax fields can be recognized by the light blue flowers.

SUNFLOWERS

Oil (cooking oil and salad oil) is made from sunflower seeds. The seeds are also packaged as snack food. Birds like sunflower seeds.

CANOLA Canola is the second largest crop grown in Saskatchewan. The seeds are used for salad oil, cooking oil and margarine. Canola meal is used as feed for animals.
MUSTARD Mustard seed is used as a spice and for making the mustard that you spread on burgers and hotdogs. Saskatchewan produces nearly half of the world's supply of mustard seed. A mustard crop is yellow just like the mustard you eat.

CEREAL CROPS : Saskatchewan farmers grow wheat, barley, oats, rye aand canary seed. Grains contain many nutrients our body needs so we should eat several servings of grain products daily.

WHEAT Wheat is the number one crop grown in Sask. Wheat belongs to the grass family. The most common wheat grown is hard red spring wheat. It is used for bread and other baked goods. Durum wheat is used in making pasta (noodles, spaghetti, macaroni).

OATS Oats is grown to feed horses, hogs and cattle, but rolled oats and oatmeal make delicious cookies and other baked products.
RYE Rye is a cereal crop. Flour made from rye is used to make rye bread. The grain is also used as food for cattle and hogs and for making rye whiskey.
CANARY SEED Canary seed is used as food for wild birds and pet birds. Saskatchewan produces almost three-quarters of the world's canary seed.
BARLEY Barley is a cereal grain grown for livestock feed. It is also used in the making of beer. Pearled barley is used in soups. LEGUMES (PULSE CROPS) include peas, beans, lentils and chickpeas. Pulse crops are very good for soil. They absorb nitrogen from the air and add nitrogen to soil. Nitrogen is an important nutrient for soil. PEAS AND LENTILS Peas and lentils are used in soups. Red and green lentils and yellow and green peas are grown in Saskatchewan. The province is the world's largest exporter of green lentils and dry peas.

WILD RICE

Wild rice is grown in northern Saskatchewan.
Most of the rice grown is sold to the United States.

INSECTS AND OTHER PESTS Grasshoppers eat crops. Cutworms and the larvae of certain moths eat through the leaves of plants. Aphids suck sap from plants. Chemical sprays called insecticides kill the pests that attack crops.
LADYBUGS AND BEES Ladybugs and bees are helpful to farmers. Ladybugs eat aphid larvae and bees help in pollinating plants. Bee farmers raise bees for the honey they make.

WEEDS

Weeds like wild mustard, stinkweed, Canada thistle, wild oats and quack grass fight with the crops for sunshine, nutrients and moisture.

HERBICIDES

Chemical sprays called herbicides are used by the farmer to kill weeds, but too much can kill all plants. Herbicides are used with other methods of weed control. The sprays should be handled with care. They are dangerous to humans.

THE SOIL

SOIL

Topsoil is a mixture of rock particles, air, water and humus. There are six soil zones in Saskatchewan - brown, dark brown, black, gray, dark gray and forest soils.

WIND Wind lifts dry topsoil into the air and carries it off. Wind damages crops and buildings during windstorms. Plough winds can knock down trees and flatten fields and buildings.
WATER Plants need water to grow. Too much water is not good for the farmer. Water from rain and rivers can wash topsoil from the land.
FERTILIZERS Fertilizers help crops grow and fight disease. Natural fertilizer is made from leaves, dead insects or animals and sometimes fungi, mould and bacteria. Specially prepared fertilizers are made from potash, phosphate and nitrogen.