Changes to the Canadian Grain Commission are in the works, and farmers, grain handlers and industry stakeholders are all encouraged to take a look at the proposed move to an insurance-based model for grain security as a condition of licensing approval. Remi Gosselin, manager of communications for the CGC, says that this change, currently published... Read More
Category: Crop Production
The seed drill does its most precise job if running through uniform residue and soil. While there's little you can do about soil variability, residue management is well within your power. As Peter Johnson says in this video, start your winter wheat planting pass from the combine by spreading residue uniformly. (Click here to see... Read More
Cereals Canada, a multi-stakeholder, multi-commodity organization, with a goal of enhancing the domestic and international competitiveness of Canadian cereals was recently formed out of the Cereals Council of Canada Working Group. This committee of industry stakeholders came together in 2012 to address the growing national and international interest in cereals. Modeled after other highly successful... Read More
Monsanto Canada's dicamba-plus-glyphosate-tolerant soybean system is in the works for a 2015 launch, if all goes according to plan (you can read more about that here), and, as part of the system, the company has rolled out more than just new in-the-plant herbicide tolerance. As Derek Freitag, with Monsanto Canada, explains in this interview filmed... Read More
Oilseeds are riskier to store. That's just a fact, and canola is no different. In fact, the higher the oil content — a plus for the canola crop — is also a liability when it comes to safe storage. In the last Canola School, Keith Gabert, agronomy specialist with the Canola Council of Canada, went... Read More
The twin fan, or double, nozzle concept is not new, but several new design tweaks on this nozzle had many farmers asking some great questions at Canada's Outdoor Farm Show. Tom Wolf, spray application specialist and Wheat School regular, hosted a sprayer demo at the show in early September, to compare the coverage differences between... Read More
Side band? Top dress? Add micros or not? When it comes to wheat production many farmers are looking to closely match crop needs with fertilizer applications, but exactly how to meet those needs brings up a host of questions. Never fear, as Peter Johnson, cereal specialist with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food, is... Read More
Today's Statistics Canada numbers of 2013 production confirmed what everyone already new — Canadian farmers have a heck of a harvest in the bin (or headed there shortly). So while the production figures are perhaps old news and bearish, there is one very cool tidbit of information in the list: canola production, for the first... Read More
The Canadian Grain Commision (CGC) launched two online, dichotomous keys to help producers identify stored grain insect pests today. I took a test run of the keys, and found them to be fast, simple and totally within my budget (free) --- so, nothing like their paper counterparts. A dichotomous key is relatively simple to use,... Read More
Post-harvest spray applications are an effective way to deal with hard-to-control perennial and winter annual weeds like Canadian thistle, foxtail barley and dandelion. But, whether you're dealing with frost, labour shortages or incredibly dry conditions, spraying in the fall can be a challenge. A dry fall can not only limit the active growth of weeds,... Read More