THUNDER BAY -- Passers-by can be forgiven for thinking some farmers south of Thunder Bay have unrolled large rolls of plastic across their fields near Highway 61.
What they are actually using is a biodegradable film that covers a crop after planting, creating what Slate River farmer Fritz Jaspers describes as a mini-greenhouse effect.
"It warms the soil more quickly, and we end up with corn that's more mature in the fall, better feed for the milking cows, and also gives a better yield."
When the product was tried out for the first time last year, the yield improved by 25% compared with the corn grown in a field that was left uncovered.
Three farmers collaborated in the purchase of the Irish-developed apparatus that lays down the film, and a representative of the company was on-site to show them how to use it.
This year the film has been rolled out across a total area of about 350 acres.
It's very visible at this point in the growing season, but Jaspers told Tbnewswatch that after the trial last year, when the ground was tilled again following the harvest, "everything was pretty well broken up."
He said it can also be used to boost soybean production but corn is a bigger priority for local farmers.
