August has been a busy month around the Shur-Gro and Munro locations and finally harvest season here.  As the crops mature and combining progresses, we are getting excited for the fall season!

Cereal harvest is about halfway through and growers are pleased with the results.  We’re hearing excellent yields and good protein overall with minimal disease. Canola threshing has begun in some areas and it’s looking promising, with more and more canola fields standing waiting for the straight cut header.  Earlier in August, Shur-Gro and Munro locations were kept busy with scouting and spraying for aphids in soybeans and diamond backs in Canola.  Sprayers are in the fields doing pre-harvest desiccation.

Congratulations to Phil Meldrum and Cody Brown of the Oakville location. Phil Meldrum, Branch Manager accepted the Role of Regional Account Manager, working with the Portage, Oakville, and Elie branches. Cody Brown has transitioned to the role of Branch Manager in Oakville.

Those aren’t the only changes the Oakville branch has seen. The bulk fertilizer plant is getting a major upgrade as well. A wider under-bin belt conveyer is being installed to a direct overhead scale/blender system which should increase the speed and efficiency of out loading times dramatically. The bulk fertilizer plant is anticipated to be fully operational by the fall fertilizer season.

Shur-Gro Munro trucks can be seen in the fields after growers have finished threshing to do soil tests. It’s an ideal time and makes for better accuracy if the soil is tested before the field has been worked. Soil probes are mounted to the trucks and are hydraulically driven to go into the ground for smooth and accurate sampling.

Good luck and happy and safe Harvesting!

We held our customer appreciation events on July 11^th & 12^th. Our event in Portage was held at the Canad Inns again & was very well attended. We had to roll an extra table out for some of our own staff to have a seat, just before dinner started. Customers who attended this year were treated to a shaved beef dinner & a slide show presentation that our MacGregor branch put together of our custom application equipment in action in our customer’s fields. Frank Perrin, Manager of our Portage Branch, gave opening remarks before supper; thanking all our customers for their business this past year, thanking the sponsors who helped support this event once again; and spoke about our upcoming anniversaries for Shur-Gro (50 years) & Munro (60 years) in 2018. Phil Meldrum, Manager of our Oakville Branch, gave a beautiful grace before we invited our customers to begin their supper.

Once again, we had a bouncy castle for our customer’s children to enjoy. As always, it went over well with the children. Parent’s appreciate it too as they had a chance to visit with friends & neighbours while their children were entertained. Thank you to Taralea Simpson (Portage Branch) for keeping the bouncy castle running smoothly.

July 12, 2017 marked the annual Munro Farm Supplies Colony Appreciation BBQ, which was another great success! There were over 100 colony members from Oakville, Portage, MacGregor and Westbourne areas in attendance, as well as Dale McKay and Blaine Cochrane from the Shur-Gro/Munro head office in Brandon.  The Westbourne Munro crew did an expert job of preparing ribeyes with the rest of the meal being catered by Country Side Kitchens. Everyone was stuffed by all accounts!  It was a great opportunity to show our thanks and gratitude for all the business these colonies bring to Munro Farm Supplies and we look forward to doing it again next year!

Thank you to all our customers who attended our customer appreciation events this year. We appreciate you choosing Munro Farm Supplies as your crop inputs

supplier of choice!

Now that the season is starting to wind down, its time to prepare for the upcoming fall fertilizer season.  To help meet the regulatory requirements for growers, The Canadian Association of Agri-Retailers has recently updated their “Anhydrous Ammonia: Safety and the Farmer – TDG Certification” online training course.  The training is required to be completed by any retail customer before they will be allowed to pick up, transport or apply anhydrous ammonia.  The training is now available for farmers and their employees free of charge and includes all the latest changes in the TDG regulations.  The course includes seven modules and the brand new downloadable Safety and the Farmer Booklet.  Follow the following link to access the training.

http://caar.org/training/safety-the-farmer

Shur-Gro/Munro are pleased to announce that we will be distributing exciting new chemistry from Agnition (a brand of the U.S. nutrition firm Ralco).  The new products known as microbial catalysts,  utilize patented technology to stimulate soil microbes which in turn liberate nutrients for greater uptake by crops.  Generate® and Commence™ were registered in Canada in the fall of 2016 and will be available to growers this spring at Shur-Gro/Munro locations across Manitoba.

• Generate®

• patented Microbial Catalyst® that stimulates microbes to liberate micro and macronutrients stored in the soil and from fertilizer
• SoluMin® mineral technology transforms active ingredients into a highly soluble and available form for foliage, roots and microbes
• increases plant health, root structure, and the ability to withstand stress which results in consistently better crop yields
• liquid formulation that is very compatible as a foliar application with crop protection products or in a band with liquid fertilizer
• registered for cereals, oilseeds, soybeans, corn, alfalfa and pulses

• Commence™

• seed treatment for wheat that utilizes Microbial Catalyst® technology which stimulates microbes to liberate nutrients from the soil
• ProCoat® encapsulation technology, a film-forming polysaccharide that adheres active ingredients to the seed
• improves crop emergence, root structure and provides stronger defense against stress which results in better crop yields
• very compatible with other seed treatments or works well as a stand-alone product

Please drop into your local Shur-Gro/Munro branch to learn more about this exciting new technology and how you can achieve healthier soils and a healthier farm.

At Shur-Gro/Munro we value the opportunity to plan weed control strategies with our customers, so that effective and economical solutions are developed.  Weed resistance management is also integral to a successful weed control plan.  We applaud our herbicide manufacturers for bringing to market state-of-the-art chemistry and the opportunity to be rewarded for early planning.  Please keep in mind the following early book chemical options to help with your plan:

• Arysta Grower Rewards Program
• $2.00/ac rebate on purchases of Everest 2.0 SmartBoys by Jan 31
• $1.00/ac rebate on purchases of Everest 2.0 by Aug 31
• minimum 160 ac to qualify
• register at arystalifesciencerewards.com

• Incredible Bayer Offer
• rebate of a $1.00/ac on qualifying broadleaf products e.g. Infinity FX
• rebate of a $1.00/ac on qualifying grass only products e.g. Varro
• rebate of $2.00/ac on combination grass/broadleaf products e.g. Velocity
• growers must book a minimum of 1000 ac by Mar 17 at their retail location. A minimum of 500 ac of combination grass/broadleaf products will qualify.
• purchase by Sept 30

• Dow Early Book Reward
• $1.00/ac rebate on cereal in-crop tank mix acres e.g. Tandem, Simplicity/Prestige
• $0.65/ac rebate on PrePass XC
• book at retail location by Mar 15
• purchase by Nov 30

Please visit your Shur-Gro/Munro branch to discuss your 2017 crop and herbicide plan and        potential fit for early book products.