If you already have a precision planter for corn, it can work for other crops. Although it produces better, more even emergence, the yield benefit isn't always there, says Gurbir Dhillon, who has been conducting precision planting trials for several years.

Precision planting: Good looks and high yields don’t always go together

Precision-planted crops look great at emergence, but lose that edge if timely rains don't come

Reading Time: 3 minutes If your greatest joy in farming is seeing nice, even emergence, you can’t beat a precision planter. “We tried a bunch of pulse crops, including field peas, chickpeas, lentils, faba beans, soybeans, and we also tried it on irrigated durum and hemp,” said Farming Smarter researcher Gurbir Dhillon. “Seedling emergence and stand establishment improved across […] Read more

Field peas. (Lisa Guenther photo)

Pulse weekly outlook: Manitoba crops get good start but need rain

Some bean growers seek moisture at lower planting depths

MarketsFarm — Pulse growers in Manitoba are waiting for one thing: rain. So far in May, growing areas of the province have not seen any significant precipitation, according to Dennis Lange, industry development specialist for pulse crops with Manitoba Agriculture. Dry beans, he said, are the last pulse crop farmers have been planting in Manitoba […] Read more


File photo of a federal office building in downtown Winnipeg. (Dave Bedard photo)

AAFC projecting canola ending stocks to tighten

New-crop wheat ending stocks figure boosted

MarketsFarm — Canadian canola ending stocks in both the current marketing year and upcoming 2023-24 season will be tighter than earlier estimates, according to supply/demand projections from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) on Tuesday. Factoring in Statistics Canada’s latest acreage estimates and its data for stocks as of March 31 — figures both released in […] Read more

While conservation efforts have had some success, what remains of the grasslands that once covered the West is small and getting smaller, says Barry Irving, co-chair of the North American group behind the UN International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists in 2026.

Threatened rangelands will be in the global spotlight in 2026

The UN’s international year will highlight both the threat and ways to preserve this critical habitat

Reading Time: 3 minutes Peas, lentils and beans got a big boost in their public profile thanks to the UN’s International Year of Pulses in 2016 and soon rangelands will get their turn in the spotlight. While “it’s tough to get people excited” about an event that’s still three years away, the UN International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists […] Read more


File photo of a pea crop south of Ethelton, Sask. on Aug. 1, 2019. (Dave Bedard photo)

Pulse weekly outlook: Seeding to start in Manitoba, Saskatchewan

Saskatchewan lentils expected to lose acres to wheat, canola

MarketsFarm — With the calendar turning to May and temperatures expected to surpass 20 C this week, pulse seedings are set to begin for parts of Manitoba and Saskatchewan. “Right now, we’re still in a bit of a holding pattern,” said Manitoba provincial pulse specialist Dennis Lange. “We haven’t really had much for drying. Now […] Read more

(File photo)

Pulse weekly outlook: Larger pea, chickpea exports expected

China, Bangladesh among major destinations

MarketsFarm — Canadian pea, chickpea and edible bean exports will likely beat earlier expectations during the current 2022-23 marketing year, according to updated supply/demand projections from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. The stocks-to-use rations for the three crops should also tighten as a result. In its report Friday, the government agency upped its call for Canadian […] Read more


“Any time you’ve got the provincial government telling us how much money we can make, then you know you have a problem.”

Usual suspects top the list in profitability forecast

But on many operations, the bottom line may depend heavily on when you bought fertilizer

Reading Time: 3 minutes Peas could rival or even beat canola and wheat as a money-maker this year, but oats are likely to be a big disappointment, according to this year’s provincial profitability forecast. The good news is that nearly every major crop in all five major soil zones is estimated to be a money maker, before fixed costs […] Read more

File photo of black beans. (Nhattienphoto/iStock/Getty Images)

Pulse weekly outlook: For growers, spring still far away

Just 'minor changes' expected in Manitoba acres

MarketsFarm — Springtime still seems distant for southern Manitoba as snow remains and freezing temperatures persist. However, provincial pulse specialist Dennis Lange said current conditions are setting up well for seeding after temperatures rise and snow melts. “We’re still a little ways off. There are still snow drifts in the fields in most areas of […] Read more


Yellow peas. (Victoria Popova/iStock/Getty Images)

Pulse weekly outlook: AAFC report makes minor changes

Revisions mainly in dry peas, chickpeas

MarketsFarm — Following the latest supply and demand estimates from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), MarketsFarm Pro analyst Mike Jubinville said their numbers “all seem reasonable enough.” There were only a handful of small tweaks to pulses in the AAFC report released Friday. For the most part, the revisions came with dry beans and chickpeas. […] Read more

The harvest in mid-September made for a pretty picture but the results from a trial of two biostimulants on durum grown on Bishop Farms didn’t produce any yield or quality differences. Erek Bishop said he wants to conduct further trials.

Search for the holy grail of N fertilizer continues

You can now buy nitrogen-fixing bacteria for your crops but when it comes to wheat, the jury is out

Reading Time: 5 minutes A real-world test of nitrogen-fixing bacteria conducted in Alberta was a bust when it came to boosting yields, but no one is throwing in the towel yet. “It’s too early to tell. You can’t base anything off one year worth of trial data,” said Erek Bishop, a participant in one of four trials of Utrisha […] Read more