Attempting to dry high depths of canola in large bins can cause conventional fans to stall, creating a potential need for three-phase power.

Large bins may be too large when it comes to drying canola

Bins hold a lot more these days, and that makes it challenging to push air through small seeds like canola

Reading Time: 3 minutes When is a grain bin too big to allow for proper drying? When it comes to canola, leading researchers may now have an idea. The Prairie Agriculture Machinery Institute (PAMI) found that commonly used conditioning fans stall when canola is piled too high in a tall grain bin. Adding an extra fan in parallel didn’t […] Read more

Canola plants in flower in a field north of Lorette, Man. on July 20, 2022. (Dave Bedard photo)

Good ratings seen for Manitoba’s spring wheat, canola

MarketsFarm — Crops in Manitoba remain in good shape, according to the latest weekly report from the province’s agriculture ministry. In particular, Manitoba Agriculture and Resource Development (MARD) found spring wheat across the province rated 85 per cent good to excellent — but with crops not doing as well in the province’s Interlake region. While […] Read more


gurbir dhillon

It’s still ‘wait and see’ country when it comes to biostimulants

A multi-year study has found some products work sometimes on some crops -- but it’s hit-and-miss

Reading Time: 3 minutes Biostimulants work. Sort of. Sometimes. Depending. Dubbed the ‘vitamin supplements of farming,’ there are a wide range of biostimulants and they work — or don’t — in a host of different ways. Sometimes they’re worth applying and sometimes not, suggests a three-year study by Farming Smarter. “We did see an increase in yield for some […] Read more

Cabbage seedpod weevils are active again, says an agronomy specialist with the Canola Council of Canada.

Scout your fields to keep on top of this year’s pest insects

Drought followed by moisture has created unique pest situations in many parts of the province

Reading Time: 4 minutes If there’s one message to keep in mind this growing season, it’s to scout fields for pests. Last year’s drought, followed by this year’s wet conditions, made for some interesting insect problems on the Prairies. Cabbage seedpod weevils are active again, said Keith Gabert, an agronomy specialist with the Canola Council of Canada who covers […] Read more


ICE November 2022 canola (candlesticks) with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages (yellow, green and black lines). (Barchart)

ICE weekly outlook: Don’t bank on canola prices jumping higher

MarketsFarm — As canola remained steadfast in its following of Chicago soyoil, analyst Wayne Palmer of Exceed Grain stressed that the days of higher prices have very likely passed. “Farmers are tremendously undersold. This latest sell off took them totally by surprise,” he said. After August soyoil made some gains over the last week, it […] Read more




Alberta Canola director spots filled

Reading Time: < 1 minute Christine McKee of Stirling, and Alan Hampton of Rowley have been appointed as Alberta Canola directors. McKee replaces Kevin Serfas in Region 9 while Hampton replaces Holly White in Region 12. No candidates in either region put their name forward during elections last fall and neither did anyone at the organization’s annual general meeting. Appointing […] Read more



Wild oats is currently resistant to the most number of herbicide groups of any weed.

Wild oat a growing resistance challenge that can’t be ignored

Keep an eye on your fields this summer and be ready to tackle the problem when you see it

Reading Time: 2 minutes If you rely solely on crop protection products to fend off wild oats, you’re not going to like the eventual bottom line. Herbicide-resistant strains of the weed are going to mean you’ll eventually run out of luck. It’s not a new problem, but every year it gets just a little bit more concerning. “Resistance is […] Read more