Canada’s federal agriculture minister says the government is “ready to receive formal submissions” from provinces for AgriRecovery plans to help Prairie farmers and ranchers up against significant droughts this summer. Marie-Claude Bibeau, summarizing discussions from Thursday’s online meeting with provincial and territorial (FPT) agriculture ministers, said the formal requests “are needed to trigger the process,” […] Read more
Request line open for AgriRecovery drought plans, Bibeau says
Formal ask needed to trigger process: ag minister
Eichler back as Manitoba ag minister in shuffle
Pedersen not seeking re-election
Manitoba’s provincial agriculture files return to the desk of their former handler in a cabinet mini-shuffle Thursday. Premier Brian Pallister has named Ralph Eichler, MLA for the Interlake-area riding of Lakeside since 2003, as minister of agriculture and resource development, replacing Blaine Pedersen. Pedersen announced Thursday he will not seek re-election but will serve out […] Read more
They’re more creepy than cuddly — but bats need your help
The insect-gobbling critters can eat their own weight in bugs each night, including farm pests
Reading Time: 3 minutes Bats aren’t pretty and their reputation isn’t either. But the insect-gobbling critters are friends of farmers — and they need help from producers, says the co-ordinator of the Alberta Community Bat Program. “In Canada, all of our bats are eating bugs — insects and spiders,” said biologist Cory Olson. “Their diets are fairly diverse, but […] Read more
The crush is coming — will canola growers roll the rotation dice?
Reading Time: 4 minutes Shortening rotations to meet demand from a spate of new crush plants will backfire, say experts Prairie canola growers will need to up production to meet the growing demand from a rash of new crush plants in Saskatchewan. But they won’t get there by sacrificing sustainability, says the Canola Council of Canada. “For us, it’s […] Read more
Flea beetles a nuisance for canola crop
[UPDATED: June 22, 2021] MarketsFarm — Western Canada’s canola crop has been hit hard by hot, dry weather so far this growing season in the midst of ongoing drought conditions — which may also be aiding another threat. *Across the Prairies, flea beetles are an oft-seen pest that feeds on both canola and mustard seedlings, […] Read more
Prairie growers on lookout as insects seize opportunity
Dry conditions, delayed seeding lift pest counts
MarketsFarm — With most Prairie growers’ newly seeded crops already up against dry conditions, growers remain on the lookout for insects which further threaten the health of those seedlings. Considering the high prices of many crops this season, the potential damage would be more costly. John Gavloski, entomologist for Manitoba Agriculture, said there is a […] Read more
Federal reprieve for imidacloprid cuts its application rates
Proposal for near-total ban rejected in Health Canada's final decision
A member of the neonicotinoid family of insesticides and seed treatments has been pulled back from the brink of an all-out ban in Health Canada’s final re-evaluation ruling. Most agricultural uses of imidacloprid — sold by Bayer under brands such as Gaucho, Merit and Admire, and by Adama under brands such as Alias and Sombrero […] Read more
Forecast, flea beetles complicate canola timing
Dry conditions make ideal seeding time difficult to peg
Drought conditions, and the odds of more to come, have some Prairie canola growers pondering when to roll the dice on seeding, if they want to do more than feed the flea beetles. Small-seeded crops, such as canola, have garnered particular concern from agronomists and producers worried about germination, given power dry topsoil across much […] Read more
Next-gen DNA sequencing aims to find the best beneficial bugs
U of A researchers using advanced tech to find what’s on the menu of your insect allies
Reading Time: 3 minutes It’s like a scene out of the movie “Jaws.” The intrepid scientist reaches his hand into the gut of a shark and pulls out what it had for dinner — a different fish or maybe, in the case of sharks, a tin can. He knows, just by examining those contents, what this predator likes to […] Read more
‘Extreme drought’ expands in Prairies
Southern Manitoba, southeastern Saskatchewan parched
MarketsFarm — The newly released map from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Canadian Drought Monitor (CDM) shows the Prairies’ ongoing drought getting worse. According to AAFC’s nationwide map released on Friday, southwestern Manitoba, parts of southern Saskatchewan and the southeast corner of Alberta are under CDM’s classification of Extreme (D3) drought as of April 30. Communities […] Read more
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