The fundamental dilemma everyone was facing was how to apply all of the necessary nitrogen (and in particular anhydrous ammonia) without adversely affecting seedbed quality, crop stand and ultimately yield. From Garry’s work as the northeast regional soil conservation specialist for the SSCA, he had observed that you must never, ever compromise seedbed quality to place all of your fertilizer in your field with a one pass seeding system or you can be forced to face some very undesirable consequences. Garry’s work provided him with the opportunity to work with a large number of hoe-type double shoot openers. When questioned about the performance of these systems Garry comments: “These double shoot openers were all designed to work somewhere. They all produced acceptable results in some soil types; however, results were inconsistent as soil types and conditions changed, particularly in heavy clays. Basically if the soil comes up in lumps as the opener passes through, the seed and fertilizer tend to get together in the lowest part of the trench resulting in reduced plant stands due to uneven seeding depth and fertilizer toxicity. Also, the power required to pull some of the systems was extremely high.”

Garry returned to full time farming with his brother Glen in 1993. The brothers had long realized, that for their operation, one pass seeding would be the ideal way to maximize profits through improved soil and water conservation. They comment: “We needed a system that would allow us to use NH3 safely on all of the soil types and the crop types on our farm. It had to work in a wide range of moisture conditions. We required the ability to seed into ground that you wouldn’t drive on with your pickup truck for fear of getting stuck, because we simply could not afford to miss out on early seeding dates. We also needed to ensure good germination and establishment without receiving spring rain. We felt that a disc NH3 applicator within the frame of the drill would help us achieve our goals and started working with the folks at Bourgault to develop the system.”

Garry and Glen worked with the first Bourgault prototypes and several upgraded versions with patience and optimism. Garry recalls: “We have seeded crops with quite a few different versions of the coulter type mid row bander. We have been through days when frustration levels rose as the system presented new challenges to overcome. Now, we feel very comfortable recommending the system to our neighbors because it works. It works better than any other system that we have worked with in a very wide range of soil types, even our heavy clays. Although we still need rain to produce a good crop, we feel that we have developed farming techniques that have definitely reduced our operating costs and increased our yield potential. We also feel that the risks of poor emergence due to premature seedbed drying have virtually been eliminated. Vigorous emergence is the very foundation of a good crop. The mid row banding system has been the cornerstone to our direct seeding success.”

It is also meaningful to note that the Meier Brothers Farm was awarded one of the three prestigious “Outstanding Young Farmers of Canada” award in 1993. They produce oilseeds, cereals, pulse crops and forage seeds. They maintain their own leaf cutter bees for their forage crops. Garry is also Chairman of the Board of the Saskatchewan Pulse Growers Association.