Crops
Reading Time: < 1 minute Grasshoppers and thrips are just two of the insects enjoying Alberta’s hot, dry weather. Scott Meers, insect management specialist with Alberta Agriculture and Forestry, talks about these and other insect issues on his weekly ‘Call of the Land’ podcast. To listen to Scott’s July 9 ‘Call of the Land’ broadcast, visit the Alberta Agriculture website.
Alberta weekly pest update
Conditions as of July 9, 2015
U.S. forecaster sees El Nino likely into N. Hemisphere spring
New York | Reuters — A U.S. government weather forecaster on Thursday warned that much-watched El Nino conditions are likely to last another nine months, potentially roiling global crops and commodities prices. The National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center projected a more than 90 per cent chance that El Nino would continue through this winter […] Read more
CPSR wheat breeding program adopts ‘4-P’ model
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s breeding program for Canada Prairie Spring Red (CPSR) wheat in Alberta is picking up new investment partners. AAFC, Canterra Seeds and the Alberta Wheat Commission (AWC) on Wednesday announced they would jointly contribute $3.4 million over five years to Dr. Harpinder Randhawa’s CPSR breeding program at AAFC’s Lethbridge Research Centre. The […] Read more
Minogue: Biotech gets its due at international rapeseed forum
Saskatoon — How important is biotechnology to Prairie farmers? On his farm, Saskatchewan farmer Maurice Delage says, the net profit from canola is about $100 per acre, making it his most profitable crop most years. Delage, who now farms at Indian Head and was CEO of Aventis Crop Sciences (now Bayer CropScience) in North America […] Read more
Check your numbers. Is it worth spending money on a foliar fertilizer?
Producers probably won’t see a good return on foliar fertilizers and hype around micronutrients is mostly ‘marketing’
Reading Time: 2 minutes In a dry year like this one, investing in foliar fertilizer probably won’t pay off. “Conditions at the time of spraying are the trump card,” said agronomist Jack Payne at canolaPALOOZA in late June. “Herbicides are also absorbed through the foliage, but if the plant’s not actively growing — if it’s shutting down because of […] Read more
Mild winter and dry spring create perfect storm for some problem insects
Insect damage is ‘amplified’ in a dry year because plants aren’t as big and so insects consume more of them
Reading Time: 2 minutes Some bug troubles are in the past for Alberta growers, but others are just getting started. “We already had a big run on flea beetles. That’s probably going to be one of the big stories of the year,” said Scott Meers, insect management specialist with Alberta Agriculture and Forestry. “There’s also been way more cutworms […] Read more
French durum player on fact-finding tour of Canada
Saskatchewan durum growers may have an unexpected visitor this summer. Since early May, Quentin Renault has been visiting farmers in Saskatchewan’s durum basket as part of a two-year study into Canadian durum. Renault is a development officer with Durum SAS, a French company that markets French durum. Durum SAS also buys Canadian durum as needed […] Read more
Farmer-led research groups shine spotlight on soil health
Improving soil is the key to successful farming, say groups behind the Soil Health Applied Research Alliance
Reading Time: 2 minutes Declaring ‘soil is bigger than oil,’ two Alberta farmer-led research organizations are teaming up to increase the focus on soil health. “Soil health is the foundation of successful farming — if we can maintain and improve the health of our soils, we will be successful farmers,” said Ian Murray, an Acme rancher and chair of […] Read more
Wheat near done flowering, prices could also bloom
CNS Canada –– Weather-related issues ranging from floods to drought have been putting wheat crops at risk globally, bringing potential for prices to move higher. Traders are watching to see how the crop in Canada will shape up, given recent dryness in the West, according to Jonathon Driedger, senior market analyst at FarmLink Marketing Solutions. […] Read more
ICE weekly outlook: Weather still key for canola
CNS Canada –– The ICE Futures Canada canola market moved lower during the week ended Wednesday, as speculators took profits on a recent rally that saw values hit fresh contract highs. Spillover pressure from the declines in Chicago soybean futures was also bearish for values. There were some reports of improving weather conditions for the […] Read more