Reading Time: 2 minutes Researchers at Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development are trying to get at the root of what’s causing quality problems in two popular hard red wheat varieties. “We cannot lose our reputation as a high-quality supplier,” said Sheri Strydhorst, agronomy research scientist with Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development. “For us to compete as just a volume […] Read more
Wheat quality declines a mystery
Not all customers are happy with AC Harvest and AC Stettler, but it’s not known whether the varieties or growing conditions are the issue
New root rots slamming Alberta pea growers
Producers across the Prairies are facing devastating losses in their pea crops — and new species of root rots may be to blame
Reading Time: 5 minutes On bad years — those with cool, wet springs; years like this one — Donald Mueller is lucky if his pea fields yield three bushels an acre. He’ll make back his seed and not much else, losing north of $400 an acre in inputs. Still, the good years have made up for the bad, so […] Read more
Three keys to managing root rots in your peas
Reading Time: 2 minutes Managing root rots comes down to “three key pillars,” says Michael Harding, research scientist with Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development. The first is field selection. “If you have a piece of land that has a heavy textured soil and doesn’t drain very well, that may not be a good spot to put peas.” Next is […] Read more
Asparagus operation a labour of love for Innisfail growers
The tender vegetable isn’t supposed to grow in central Alberta — but that didn’t stop the Edgar family
Reading Time: 4 minutes If you asked her today, Elna Edgar would admit that the folks at Alberta Agriculture were “absolutely right” 30 years ago when they said asparagus couldn’t be grown in their little corner of central Alberta. “It’s the most quirky, odd, drive-you-crazy vegetable that you can imagine,” said Edgar, who owns and operates Edgar Farms near […] Read more
Three keys to successful on-farm research
Reading Time: 2 minutes The first critical step in research is to keep it simple. “Ask one question, and keep it very specific,” said Farming Smarter researcher Lewis Baarda. “It’s important to keep that as simple as you can and have one research question where you can look at one thing at a time. The simpler you make it, […] Read more
On-farm research done right can save producers big bucks
It takes time and effort, but doing research on your farm means you’re ‘not just flying blind’ when buying costly inputs
Reading Time: 3 minutes There really wasn’t much scientific about Kevin Auch’s first foray into on-farm research almost 30 years ago. “It was basically a visual display of micros being applied by hand in a severely eroded area — there was no measured-out pounds per acre or anything like that,” said the Carmangay-area mixed grain farmer. “All it would […] Read more
Beef industry adopts ‘right customer for the right cut’ marketing approach
Canada’s beef industry is beginning to maximize profits from the whole cattle carcass by catering to different global markets
Reading Time: 3 minutes Cuts from the loin, sirloin, and rib “help keep the lights on” for Canada’s beef industry, but it needs niche markets to capture value from the whole beef carcass, says Canada Beef’s director of North American market development. “The middle meats are obviously highly valuable, but they only make up a certain percentage of the […] Read more
Calf management survey links long calving season and calf mortality
A recent calf management study has shown links between increased calf mortality risk and the length of the calving season, timing of calving, and colostrum intake
Reading Time: 3 minutes Beef cattle producers with long calving seasons could see an increased risk of calf mortality, according to a recent study from the University of Calgary. “We looked at the correlation between the length of the calving season and mortality, and for every extra day, the mortality between a week of age and weaning went up […] Read more
Creep feeding speeds puberty in bull calves
Creep feeding could bring bull calves to puberty over one month faster than calves fed a lower-nutrition diet
Reading Time: 3 minutes Cattle producers should consider creep feeding bull calves that could someday be sires, says a recent study from the University of Calgary. “These findings have important implications for management of young bulls prior to puberty,” said PhD student Alysha Dance, who looked at the effects of nutrition on hormone production, age of puberty, semen quality, […] Read more
Weed competition costing corn growers yield
Corn growers have limited options for controlling Roundup Ready canola in their crops — but Group 27 herbicides offer a ‘good opportunity’
Reading Time: 3 minutes Doug Moisey wouldn’t go so far as to say corn is the “wuss” of the cropping world, but it sure doesn’t put up much of a fight against weeds. “Wuss may be a strong word, but when it comes to weed control, it’s very critical,” said the DuPont Pioneer area agronomist at Farming Smarter’s field […] Read more
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