Reading Time: 3 minutes Shrinking barley acres have cattle producers on the hunt for a low-cost feed option. And feed wheat could be the answer — as long as the wheat is processed properly. “There was a feeling out there that you probably couldn’t feed more than 50 per cent wheat in the diet because wheat is quite rapidly […] Read more
Myth busted: Properly processed feed wheat won’t cause digestive upset
Researchers in Lethbridge swapped wheat for barley in a cattle ration without any negative effects — but the wheat must be properly processed
Payoff from variable-rate technology is variable
Study of variable-rate fertilizer application finds it’s not a ‘slam dunk’ — sometimes it pays and sometimes it doesn’t
Reading Time: 2 minutes Does variable-rate fertilizer application pay off? Sure it does — if you can find the areas of the field that need it, suggests a recent financial analysis of variable-rate technology (VRT) conducted in Lethbridge. “The more fertilizer you put on, the better results you get,” said Mark Wobick, a farm management consultant with MNP. “But […] Read more
Tight rotations may not harm canola yields — but soil health suffers
A long-term study on diversity in rotations produced some surprises, but the benefits were also clear
Reading Time: 3 minutes Brian Beres wasn’t surprised to find more diverse rotations increase cereal grain yields, improve soil health, and increase microbial biomass. What surprised him was how canola fared under tight rotations. Quite well, as a matter of fact. “It was surprising to see that canola didn’t respond to diversity if you looked at crop response variables […] Read more
Fusarium on the march and wreaking havoc
Once limited to wheat fields in southern Alberta, fusarium head blight is spreading quickly into central Alberta and beyond
Reading Time: 3 minutes A devastating wheat disease is on the rise in Alberta — and spreading quickly. “Over the past few years, (fusarium) has increased considerably, and it’s fairly prominent now,” said Trevor Blois, disease diagnostician with 20/20 Seed Labs. “This year, around 16 per cent of samples that are submitted for a fusarium test in Alberta are […] Read more
Trouble looming if there’s another cool, wet spring
Four to Watch: Increasing disease levels over the last few years could lead to big-time outbreaks if the environmental conditions are right
Reading Time: 3 minutes This much is known. “We’re not going to have a disease-free year — that’s for sure,” said Michael Harding, a research scientist with Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development. “The environment will determine how much we see and which pathogens have the ability to cause the most serious issues.” And just what kind of environment — […] Read more
Growing pains — herd rebuild a long-term proposition
Four to Watch: Cattle herd needs a ‘big move’ in heifer retention to fuel expansion
Reading Time: 3 minutes Cattle herd expansion was one of the biggest ‘will they or won’t they’ stories in 2014 — and that little plot line will continue to play out in 2015. “Right now, we’re still in the consolidation phase,” said Brenna Grant, research manager at Canfax. “Inventories are going to be stable on Jan. 1, 2015, and […] Read more
Want a can’t miss weather forecast for 2015? Then don’t look here
Five to Remember: Vagaries of weather forecasts prove there's no crystal ball involved
Reading Time: 2 minutes If you’re looking for a crystal ball to predict the weather for the coming year, steer clear of whatever brand Environment Canada is using. “In October or November, it does its forecast of what the winter’s going to be like, and for three years in a row now, it has been diametrically 180 degrees opposite […] Read more
Budget squeeze leads to cancellation of new ag research fund
The $200-million Agriculture and Food Innovation Endowment would have generated $9 million annually for made-in-Alberta research
Reading Time: 3 minutes The provincial government has scrapped a $200-million endowment that was to fund innovative agriculture research. When the Agriculture and Food Innovation Endowment account was announced in March, it was praised by Agriculture Minister Verlyn Olson. “Innovation and diversification in all of our sectors are key to Alberta’s long-term success,” said Olson. “The Agriculture and Food […] Read more
Big crops causing big headaches
Reading Time: < 1 minute Bruce McFadden has seen the future — and it looks congested. While Ottawa’s grain-movement edicts have captured headlines, the director of research for Quorum Corp., the federal grain monitor, has been looking at numbers. Big ones. Stats Canada initially estimated Western Canada’s 2014 harvest at 57 million tonnes, which when combined with carry-over, meant a […] Read more
Reporter’s Notebook: Herding cattle isn’t horseplay for beginner rider
Reading Time: 2 minutes One sunny afternoon in mid-November, I found myself on the back of a big bay gelding staring out over a field of Corriente cattle and wondering what the hell I was doing there. I recently took up horseback riding after a 25-year hiatus, and until that afternoon, I had been perfectly content riding slow circles […] Read more
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