Allan Dawson

Reading Time: < 1 minute Waterhemp, which is in the pigweed family, is a major weed in the United States so it’s no surprise the discovery of a 2,4-D-resistant population in Nebraska is making headlines. The resistant waterhemp were found in a field of native grass seed where 2,4-D had been applied for more than 10 consecutive years, researchers wrote […] Read more

overuse Researchers fear farmers will go for short-term solutions, 
creating longer-term problems


Reading Time: 3 minutes The discovery of 2,4-D-resistant waterhemp in the U.S. has sparked calls for new rules governing how farmers use herbicide-tolerant crops. The researchers who documented 2,4-D-resistant population of waterhemp say new crops stacked with glyphosate and Group 4 herbicide tolerance must be managed carefully to avoid selecting for super weeds. “The commercialization of soybean, cotton and […] Read more

Cherry-picked Data can sometimes be used selectively when comparing one result to another

Reading Time: 2 minutes Most farmers would scoff at the notion of replacing their nitrogen fertilizer with maple syrup. But Manitoba Agriculture soil fertility specialist John Heard was able to make a convincing argument using some creative interpretation of data. In 2009, Heard conducted a trial comparing the impact of a special “growth enhancer” derived from Acer negundo on […] Read more

Reading Time: 2 minutes The search is on for a way to allow higher-yielding wheats while protecting Western Canada’s reputation as a premium producer of red spring and amber durum wheat. “All of the sectors affected by variety registration have come together in a very positive spirit to work towards developing something that will address the concerns and preserve […] Read more

Existing supports Minister says producers can expect payments through AgriInsurance and possibly AgriStability

Reading Time: 2 minutes The federal government doesn’t expect to announce any ad hoc aid programs for Ontario farmers suffering from drought, Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz told reporters in Saskatoon July 31. “I think we have fullness in our programming that allows us the latitude to address this,” Ritz said. Earlier in the day Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty asked […] Read more

Laws remain Protesters were convicted under 
the Customs Act and 
for contempt, not 
under CWB Act


Reading Time: 2 minutes Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s decision to pardon some of the western farmers convicted of contravening Customs Act regulations in the 1990s is raising eyebrows. “Where does that stop?” Bob Roehle, a former CWB employee and member of Friends of the Canadian Wheat Board asked. “In a democracy, do I get to choose which laws I […] Read more

Pooling option The new CWB says it’s ready to compete in an open 
market and buoyed by a good crop, high prices and farmer support

Reading Time: 3 minutes The drama over the demise of the Canadian Wheat Board single desk showed no sign of abating as the new era of open grain marketing began. Prime Minister Stephen Harper told several hundred cheering farmers gathered at a farm near Kindersley, Sask. Aug. 1 that farmers who ran the border to challenge the board’s monopoly […] Read more

Mixed views Some see positives, but others fear farmers have lost their only advocate in the system

Reading Time: 3 minutes A prominent open-market supporter is warning that as many as one-third of Prairie grain farmers could be pushed out of business within five years because the ending of the CWB monopoly was pushed through too quickly. “In my view ideology never pays bills and it never puts food on the table without a good business […] Read more

Basis U.S. experience suggests farmers will be in for dramatic 
fluctuations, and may want to store more grain

Reading Time: 2 minutes THE OPEN MARKET: Good for bin salesmen Buy or lease bins. That was the advice given to farmers attending the recent Farming for Profit conference who are wondering how to manage the increased risk that comes with an open market for wheat, durum and barley. “Storage will be king,” Moose Jaw farmer Vaughn Cone told […] Read more

Includes Viterra Farmers can now deliver to the wheat board 
through 120 elevators across the West

Reading Time: 3 minutes Things are starting to look up for the Canadian Wheat Board. At the Farm Progress Show June 21 it announced six more grain companies will handle its grain making it practical for farmers across the West to patronize the board, and it announced a big wheat sale to Japan. Until the new handling agreements were […] Read more