Farmers who weren’t able to wrap up their harvest this fall on account of lousy weather may still be eligible for cash advances under the federal Advance Payments Program. The Canadian Canola Growers Association (CCGA), which administers the program for farmers in Western Canada, said that effective Tuesday it will accept new seeded cash advance […] Read more
Cash advances to be offered on unharvested grain
Key U.S. senator remains wary of China’s Syngenta play
Beijing | Reuters — A powerful U.S. senator said he is concerned that state-owned ChemChina, which is buying Swiss crop protection and seed group Syngenta for $43 billion, could use U.S. sovereign immunity laws to shield itself from claims in U.S. courts. Some Chinese state-owned entities have argued that they have sovereign immunity and thus […] Read more
Ritchie Bros. buys Saskatchewan’s Kramer Auctions
One of the Prairies’ major farm auction houses has become part of the world’s biggest industrial auction firm. Vancouver-based Ritchie Bros. announced Tuesday it has bought Kramer Auctions of North Battleford, Sask. for an undisclosed sum. The company, set up in 1949 by the late Eiling Kramer, today runs about 75 on-farm dispersal auctions, four […] Read more
When it comes to healthy soil, you want to lump it
Soil aggregation is critical — in several different ways — to growing healthy crops
Reading Time: 4 minutes Think water is your biggest limiting factor when growing a crop? Think again. “Soil aggregation is the most important constraint that we have,” said Yamily Zavala, crop and soil health management specialist at Chinook Applied Research Association. “In order for a soil to function properly, we have to have all the soil processes — physical, […] Read more
Bovine TB quarantines push into Saskatchewan
Two farms in southwestern Saskatchewan have been added to the list of those under federal quarantine as inspectors widen their search for cattle exposed to a new-to-Canada strain of bovine tuberculosis (TB). As of Thursday, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency said it had “approximately 33” farms in Alberta and two in Saskatchewan under quarantine. The […] Read more
Tips for dealing with greenfeed that saw snow before harvest
Heating can greatly lower the feed value, moulds will reduce digestibility, and the potential for nitrites is higher
Reading Time: 2 minutes Greenfeed that saw snow before being harvested this year presents some extra challenges when feeding. Bales containing 18 to 20 per cent moisture (or higher) have the potential to heat, and some of the sugars will be used by the microbes during the heating process, said provincial forage specialist Barry Yaremcio. “This will reduce the […] Read more
Soil health sensor project largest in North America
A new $2-million soil health research project aims to figure out the impact of different cropping systems on the environment. Research will also be conducted on crop productivity relating to soil health. The result should be new knowledge on productivity of traditional cropping systems versus those with cover crops. The project, at the new Soil […] Read more
Saskatchewan government signs onto 4R fertilizer stewardship
The Saskatchewan government has agreed to work with Fertilizer Canada to promote adoption of fertilizer application practices using the 4R stewardship model. “Saskatchewan has long promoted 4R Nutrient Stewardship and many farmers have adopted it as best practice. This agreement will further that work, contributing to greater on-farm sustainability and environmental stewardship in Saskatchewan,” Agriculture […] Read more
Cool, wet weather continues to slow harvest
Alberta crop conditions as of November 1
Reading Time: 2 minutes Although the province did not receive much precipitation over the last week, continued cool, wet weather conditions were enough to slow down harvest progress. Provincially, about 76 per cent of crops are in the bin, 14 per cent swathed and 10 per cent still standing. Producers in the Southern, Central and North East Regions were […] Read more
Save time and maybe money with fall soil sampling
Having a firm fertilizer plan in the fall allows you to take advantage of any dip in fertilizer prices
Reading Time: < 1 minute Soil sampling now will save time in spring and early planning of your fertilizer programs gives you the chance to take advantage of lower fertilizer prices that may occur, says a provincial crop specialist. But soil samples need to be representative of the field, said Mark Cutts. “For example, if there are small areas of […] Read more
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