While I may get called out for jumping the gun here, but now that the holidays are over and the extreme weather of winter is upon us (super cold on the Prairies, balmy in Ontario), I can't help but start asking about the planting season. Yes, really. A good farmer friend was over this weekend... Read More
Category: Crop Production
Harvest management and timing is always important, but for a shatter-prone crop like canola, it's paramount to preserving yield in the field and the swath. As canola acres have jumped, so to has the rush at harvest to try and swath and harvest all of the acres at the optimum timing. That can prove a... Read More
Federal Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz and Saskatchewan Agriculture Minister Lyle Stewart have announced $6.5 million in funding for 38 crop-related research projects. Ritz says the research is focused on making "Saskatchewan farmers more productive and profitable." "Saskatchewan has a reputation as a leader in crop production and research and these new projects will help to... Read More
If some is good, is more better? Well, that depends on what we're talking about. Horst Bohner, soybean specialist with OMAFRA, definitely supports moving towards optimal number of plants per acre and that might mean higher seeding rates, but when it comes to tillage and fertilizer, less can certainly be more. Soybeans are unlike other... Read More
Owning the latest and greatest technology is great, but actually using it to its full potential is what makes the cost worthwhile. When that involves your iPhone, it's understandable that some apps amount to bells and whistles, but when the technology sits inside your tractor cab, having the latest and greatest needs to earn its... Read More
The last time a novel biotech trait event for Western Canada was rolled out, the Winnipeg Jets were headed to Phoenix, Arizona, much to the sadness of many a Winnipegger. But now, it's 2013 and the Jets are set to play once again after a long delay (thanks, lockout!), and a brand new herbicide resistance... Read More
I am attending CropWeek 2013 in Saskatoon this week which always involves some great discussions in the sessions and the hallway. I had a grain /seed industry insider ask me a really interesting question today. "Do we really need to re-create the wheel with wheat? Does wheat royalty collection for research really need to be... Read More
The 2012 drought that hit Ontario producers hard, hit Indiana farmers even harder. So hard in fact that it was one of the worst yielding crop years on record. That number being relative to what's expected given technology and management practices of the time. Needless to say, that puts drought tolerance as an issue that's... Read More
Any way you look at it, 90 million dollars is a lot of money. That's the amount the Western Grains Research Foundation has accrued over the years due to the railways exceeding their revenue cap. That's sad news for farmers who paid much more than they should have for transport, but the good news is... Read More
The Canadian Grain Commission recently released a summary of the feedback it received regarding impending changes to its user fee system. Industry stakeholders, including farmers, were asked to submit their questions, critiques and suggestions for changes to the not only the user fees, but also changes to the Canada Grains Act. Generally, there seems to... Read More