Bill C-18 — the proposed legislation that includes changes to plant breeders' rights — continues to move through Parliament, despite the New Democrats saying they'll vote against it. During the Report Stage in the House of Commons on Monday, Opposition Agriculture Critic Malcolm Allen introduced 51 motions to delete all 51 clauses of the bill... Read More
Category: Crop Production
Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall recently announced $100,000 in funding to support activities for the United Nations’ International Year of Pulses (IYOP), to be observed in 2016. The announcement was made in Mumbai, India, where the premier was touring promoting Saskatchewan as a supplier to India of food and fuel. “The International Year of Pulses will... Read More
CANTERRA SEEDS has announced it has entered into an agreement with British baking company Warburtons on the production and commercialization of AAC W1876, a hard red spring wheat variety bred by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. AAC W1876 was developed and tested by Dr. Richard Cuthbert and Dr. Ron DePauw of AAFC SPARC, and was supported... Read More
Successful winter wheat crops depend on the process of vernalization in order to spur the wheat to shift from vegetative to reproductive growth. The process is initiated by the presence of cold temperatures and, surprising to many, is not dependent on seedling growth. "Wheat's a pretty interesting crop," says Peter Johnson, cereal specialist for the... Read More
As farmers shut the door on the 2014 production season (save for those in Ontario still slogging through corn harvest), so too do we wind down the last of the Spray Tips series. In this post-harvest down-time, it's important to take a much needed breather, then, before you know it'll be time to start the... Read More
Following the end of the Canadian Wheat Board's single desk, there was strong interest in growing wheat varieties from classes other than the traditional Canada Western Red Spring wheat that Canada is known for. There was plenty of talk about producing more high-yielding CPS (Canada Prairie Spring) wheat, but two years later, that buzz seems... Read More
Today, in Winnipeg, Manitoba,Shelly Glover, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages announced an investment of $1,950,000 to the Canadian Malting Barley Technical Centre (CMBTC) on behalf of Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz. The funding, made possible through Agriculture and AGri-Food Canada's AgriMarketing Program under Growing Forward 2, is expected to aid the company in its... Read More
From a milling perspective, there's good news about the quality profile of the 2014 wheat crop in Western Canada. Mildew is to blame for much of this year's Canada Western Red Spring wheat falling outside of the top two grades, but wheat grading as #3 CWRS due to mildew is still exhibiting quality characteristics that... Read More
Corn and soybean growers in Ontario know that neonicotinoid-containing seed treatments are under close scrutiny by the public and by the provincial government. When provincial department mandate letters were sent out in September, Ontario premier Kathleen Wynne called for a "meaningful reduction" in neonic use by 2015. As the clock runs down to the end... Read More
Shipping your own railcar can have numerous benefits, not the least of which is selling grain at a higher price than local elevators are willing to offer. At the same time there's also a fair amount of risk in counting on producer cars to market grain — just ask one of the farmers who are... Read More