On the Farm with #YourFarmers Keanan and Reuben

From Valley Bio Ltd.

Farmers Keanan and Reuben Stone run their farm, Valley Bio, in Renfrew County. Valley Bio grows a variety of crops such as soybeans, pulses, cereals and oats. Most of which are grown for seed, pedigree seed, or cover crops. In this interview, we’re focusing on growing oat crop with them.

When growing oats, Valley Bio likes to plant their crops in early May so it gives them enough time to get to maturity. They typically harvest their oat crops in late August. In that time, the field will turn from green to yellow to different shades of a light brown, which dries out the plants, getting them to the right moisture level for thrashing, cleaning, and storing.

Once Keanan and Reuben’s oat crops are harvested, they get sent to Valley Bio where the crops are cleaned, conditioned, and picked up by their customers for planting the following year.

Keanan and Reuben grow oats because the options are endless for this crop. They can be used for animal forage, feed, pet food, and food products such as cereals and flours.

In addition, oats are really good for their crop rotation, soil health, and they break up diseases. Because of the wide variety of crops that they grow, it’s important to move them around in different fields so they can grow in a particular order.