Reading Time: 3 minutes You know the old saying: In order to make money, you’ve got to spend money. But spend it wisely, says an Alberta Agriculture research scientist. “There’s a lot of different agronomic practices out there that you can spend money on — but which ones are going to make you money?” Sheri Strydhorst asked attendees at […] Read more
Fungicide application offers best bang for your buck — in the right conditions
Expert says fungicides paid off big for wheat in wet conditions, but plant growth regulators and extra nitrogen weren’t worth the cost
New pulse website takes a (web) page from Wikipedia
Alberta Pulse Growers has launched a new online manual in a familiar Wikipedia-style format to share up-to-date research and agronomic best practices
Reading Time: 3 minutes Wikipedia has replaced encyclopedias as the go-to tool for people conducting a little research — and that’s just what Alberta Pulse Growers is banking on with the launch of its pulse crop wiki. “The PulsePOD — or the pulse crop wiki, as we sometimes call it — is designed to take the place of a […] Read more
Free quota allows producers to break into the egg industry
With the cost of quota north of $300 per bird, the New Entrant Program offers producers a way to beat the biggest barrier to egg production
Reading Time: 4 minutes Richard Molenaar wouldn’t have even considered becoming an egg farmer without free quota. “If we weren’t accepted for the New Entrant Program, we wouldn’t be doing it. I know that for a fact,” said Molenaar, who farms near Grande Prairie with wife Mandy and his parents. “Unless you’re born into an egg farm, you’re probably […] Read more
Expert says prepare to raise beef in a world without growth promotants
While there’s no question beta-agonists and antibiotics work, there are ways to lessen the need for them, says ruminant nutritionist
Reading Time: 3 minutes Get ready — changing consumer demands could spell the end of growth promotants in Canadian cattle production, says a ruminant nutritionist from Brazil. “Increased public concern with animal welfare, and also with antibiotic resistance in humans, has really drawn attention to the use of these kinds of products,” said Gabriel Ribeiro at the recent Feed […] Read more
Worker shortage handicapping ag sector
Plants have jobs but not enough Canadians interested in them
Reading Time: 5 minutes A chronic shortage of workers isn’t just a problem for meat packers, but all of agriculture, say experts. Mark Chambers sees the impact every day at Sunterra Farms, but also knows his experience is being mirrored across the country. “If we can’t get enough labour to produce the value-added products or to expand and grow, […] Read more
Federal official says UPOV ’91 will benefit farmers
Commissioner of plant breeders’ rights says enhanced intellectual property protection will bring more investment, better varieties, and greater choice
Reading Time: 2 minutes It’s a mistake to think that enhanced plant breeders’ rights only benefit seed companies, says the commissioner of plant breeders’ rights with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. “The net benefit, at the end of the day, is really going to be for farmers,” said Anthony Parker at FarmTech in January. The federal government is poised […] Read more
New canola variety offers middle-of-the-road protection against new strain of clubroot
A new canola variety from Canterra Seeds with ‘intermediate resistance’ to a new strain of clubroot will be available in limited amounts this growing season
Reading Time: 2 minutes A new canola variety has shown some promising resistance to a new strain of clubroot that was found near Edmonton in 2013 and has since spread to nearly 30 fields. But it won’t offer true resistance, says a plant pathologist from the University of Alberta. “This variety had very, very strong resistance to the pathotypes […] Read more
Streamlined variety registration system set to launch in 2016
A streamlined system would allow new varieties to hit the market sooner, but less performance testing sparks concerns
Reading Time: 3 minutes A new variety registration system could be in place and fully operational by next year — if the players in the value chain can agree on doing away with the current three-part system. “The system needs to be efficient, it needs to be transparent, and it needs to be predictable,” said Erin Armstrong, director of […] Read more
The recipe has to be just right when fertilizing your crops
Phosphorus and potassium work well when placed in the seed row — but nitrogen and sulphur are mobile
Reading Time: 3 minutes Nitrogen may be the first thing producers think of when they want to bump up their yield — but don’t neglect the other nutrients. “In order to get the maximum benefit out of all of our fertilizer nutrients, we need to have a balanced supply,” said University of Saskatchewan soil scientist Jeff Schoenau, who drew […] Read more
Alberta’s first bean grower honoured with inaugural industry innovator award
Reading Time: 2 minutes The man who first introduced dry beans to Alberta has been recognized as an industry innovator by the very organization he helped form 25 years ago. Idaho farmer Lud Prudek received the inaugural Alberta Pulse Industry Innovator Award at the Alberta Pulse Growers’ recent annual general meeting. “We invited nominations for individuals and organizations that […] Read more
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