Applied Research Specialist with Manitoba Agriculture, Scott Chalmers, is prepping for next week's Southwest Region Crop Day to be held in Melita.

Chalmers is with the Westman Agricultural Diversification Organization (WADO) and he'll be presenting on a number of topics, one of those being on intercropping.

The purpose of intercropping is to try to gain some sort of benefit by having two crops together rather than separate, he says. "Often it's based on yield but in many cases, it can be quality of the crop or harvestability, weed control, insect control, and various other things."

Traditionally, organic producers use intercrop planting and growing systems as a tool for management.

"But this doesn't mean that the conventional farmers cannot try this method as well," adds Chalmers. "Probably if you're going for a grain product, the big restriction is separating the crops which can be a cost."

Chalmers says of the 11,000,000 acres of cultivated land in Manitoba there are only 8,000 acres of intercrops.  But further west, in Saskatchewan, intercropping is more popular.

Please listen to more with Scott Chalmers below!

And if you want to hear even more you can attend the Southwest Region Crop Day next week Tuesday, April 2nd, at the Legion Community Hall in Melita - from 10am-3pm.

Call Scott Chalmers at 204-522-5415 to learn more.