Reading Time: < 1 minute Alberta Barley, the Alberta Wheat Commission and the Alberta Canola Producers Commission are holding a one-day workshop on July 28 to help producers get the best grade for their grain. Making the Grade will be held at Olds College and include hands-on sessions from experienced industry speakers on barley, wheat, and canola grading and agronomy. […] Read more
Learn the ins and outs of grain grading with ‘Making the Grade’
New guide to feed barley for producers
Reading Time: < 1 minute The Barley Grain Feed Industry Guide is a new publication from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in conjunction with Alberta Barley. The 34-page guide was compiled by ruminant nutrition expert Tim McAllister of Ag Canada’s Lethbridge Research Centre and post-doctoral researcher Sarah Meale. It features work of leading researchers in feed barley breeding, processing, and feed […] Read more
U.S. corn, DDGS imports likely as drought tightens feed supply
CNS Canada –– Livestock producers in Western Canada will likely have to import feed grains such as corn and dried distillers grains with solubles (DDGS) this year, as drought is seen trimming domestic barley and other feed production. “We’ve seen droughts before, and when it’s happened, usually what has to happen is we import other […] Read more
Wet weather brings disease worries to Man. winter wheat
CNS Canada — Excess moisture in parts of central Manitoba could bring disease problems to winter wheat fields in the region. Fungicide spraying has occurred to control diseases such as fusarium head blight and leaf diseases, but farmers are running into some problems with applications, according to Bruce Burnett, crop specialist with CWB in Winnipeg. […] Read more
Organic is booming — and the push is on to get more growers
Demand for organic grain is growing at a sizzling pace and the sector fears it will lose market share if it can’t up production
Reading Time: 4 minutes Steven Snider was just 16 years old when he realized conventional farming wasn’t for him. “I was spraying a wild oat herbicide on a field, and I got drift poisoning,” said the Edberg-area farmer and owner of Little Red Hen Mills. “For three days, I was sick as a dog. That kind of changed my […] Read more
Food giant wants organic acres to double
Reading Time: < 1 minute General Mills is one of the processors investing in the Prairie Organic Grain Initiative (POGI). The Minnesota-based multinational is increasing its focus on health-conscious consumers. It wants to double natural and organic sales to $1 billion by 2020, so it’s backing efforts to get more grain farmers to go organic. More on the Alberta Farmer: […] Read more
Rusts enter southern Manitoba from U.S.
CNS Canada — While fusarium head blight and wheat streak mosaic have already popped up in Manitoba fields, a new strain of disease is making its presence felt in the province’s south. Stripe rust and leaf rust appear to have blown in from the United States. Pam de Rocquigny of Manitoba’s agriculture department said the […] Read more
Late start expected for Manitoba’s Port of Churchill
CNS Canada — Manitoba’s northern Port of Churchill will start its shipping season later this year, as its operator hopes to lower the cost of maintenance on the railway serving the port. Merv Tweed, president of port and railway operator OmniTrax Canada, said the company expects the first grain vessel will go out sometime in […] Read more
Winter wheat stripe rust update
Reading Time: < 1 minute So far in the month of June, 19 winter wheat fields have been surveyed in the counties of Lethbridge, Taber, Warner and Cardston. Eight fields surveyed in the County of Lethbridge had no signs of stripe rust. Of the six fields surveyed in the County of Warner, three fields had trace incidence of stripe rust […] Read more
Uncertainty over Russia’s wheat export tax seen slowing trade
Moscow/Abu Dhabi | Reuters –– Uncertainty over Russia’s new wheat export tax is slowing trade activity as traders who have signed forward contracts say they are unsure about how the formula will be implemented. The floating tax formula, to be launched from July 1, is intended to stop exports surging if the rouble drops steeply, […] Read more