Crops
Reading Time: 2 minutes The practice of ‘off-label’ spraying is not only illegal and can result in severe fines, but can also be very dangerous for your clients, your livelihood, and the environment, says a provincial commercial horticulture specialist. “Horticultural chemicals and pesticides often have the dubious distinction of being more expensive than their field crop cousins. In order […] Read more
Going ‘off label’ is a bad idea all around when it comes to pesticides
You can not only be fined, but also put your customers, the environment and your business at risk
Plant growth regulators aren’t for everyone, says researcher
Producers need to choose a responsive variety and get their staging right when using plant growth regulators on wheat
Reading Time: 3 minutes Do plant growth regulators offer a good bang for your buck? Sure — if the conditions are right. If not, you’re wasting your money. “Plant growth regulators aren’t to be used on every acre, like a herbicide or nitrogen fertilizer,” said Sheri Strydhorst, a research scientist with Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development. “Producers need to […] Read more
Farming Smarter cancels spring crop walks
Producer-run research organization urges farmers to lobby new government for more dollars
Reading Time: 2 minutes A funding shortfall has prompted Farming Smarter to cancel its spring crop walks for 2015. The shortfall resulted from cutbacks by the outgoing Progressive Conservative government, said Ken Coles, general manager of the farmer-run research organization based in Lethbridge. “Even if the new provincial government decides to keep or improve the AOF (Agriculture Opportunities Fund) […] Read more
Tight seed supplies, storms could hamper canola reseeding
CNS Canada — Frosty late-May weather in parts of Western Canada means some farmers will need to reseed canola crops — but due to a seed shortage, some may have to wait. Temperatures dropped below freezing for a number of hours Saturday morning across a large area of Manitoba and into eastern Saskatchewan, according to […] Read more
Pearce: GFO goes informative rather than inflammatory
It’s not that farmers in Ontario aren’t frustrated and angry concerning legislation aimed at curbing the use of neonicotinoid seed treatments. They are. However, during a protest Friday in front of Ontario Deputy Premier Deb Matthews’ riding office in London, executives with the Grain Farmers of Ontario and roughly 35 farmers took a more proactive […] Read more
Prairie wheat bids fall as U.S. futures drop sharply
CNS Canada –– Cash bids for wheat on the Prairies were weaker during the week ended Friday, as a sharp drop in U.S. wheat futures weighed on prices. Average Canada Western Red Spring (CWRS) wheat prices were C$1 to $11 per tonne lower, with bids ranging from about $204 per tonne in north-central Saskatchewan to […] Read more
U.S. grains: Short-covering sparks rally in wheat
Chicago | Reuters –– U.S. wheat futures rallied 3.4 per cent on Monday, bouncing off of their lowest in nearly three weeks, on a round of short-covering, traders said. “Frankly this market was struggling to go down,” Arlan Suderman, senior market analyst at Water Street Solutions, said. “When you run out of sellers because they […] Read more
Some S. Manitoba canola ‘wiped out’ in weekend frost
CNS Canada –– Many canola crops in southern Manitoba were badly damaged by frost early Saturday morning, leading farmers to reseed fields, one local farmer reports. “There’s quite a bit of canola that has been damaged, and some guys are reseeding. Some guys are still assessing, though,” said Anastasia Kubinec, oilseed specialist with Manitoba, Agriculture, […] Read more
Cuba produces best sugar harvest in 11 years
Havana | Reuters — Cuba’s sugar harvest grew 18 per cent this year to 1.9 million tonnes, the most for the beleaguered industry in 11 years and the best performance since the state sugar company Azcuba was founded in 2011, official media said on Friday. The Communist Party daily Granma said the harvest, which began […] Read more
Gluten-free claim allowed on some oat products
Celiac sufferers needing foods free of gluten will now be able to get certain oat products with a “gluten-free” claim. Federal Health Minister Rona Ambrose on Friday announced the allowed claim for oat products that are produced and processed to avoid cross-contamination by gluten from other cereals’ grains and products. Celiac disease, a hereditary condition, […] Read more