Crops
Reuters — California Governor Jerry Brown signed a package of bills on Tuesday to regulate California’s stressed groundwater supplies amid a drought that is expected to cost the state US$2.2 billion in lost crops, jobs and other damages, with no end in sight. The bills will allow the state to take over management of underground […] Read more
Calif. governor OKs bills to regulate groundwater amid drought
U.S. grains: Wheat, soybeans close lower; corn firms
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean and wheat futures fell Tuesday, with soy pressured by technical selling and forecasts for good harvest weather, while U.S. wheat supplies struggled to find traction on the export market despite trading at four-year lows. Corn firmed, with traders noting a round of bargain buying that pushed prices into positive […] Read more
Crop damage varies across Prairies
CNS Canada –– Last week’s Prairie frost seems to have bitten Alberta crops the hardest, but all across Western Canada, crop experts say wet, cold weather poses challenges to late-stage development. In Alberta, a hard frost came the night of Sept. 10 and morning of Sept. 11. “The cereals and canola that were least ripe, […] Read more
Permaculture advocate says work with nature, not against it
Ferintosh producer Takota Coen says carefully designed mixed farms are the way of the future
Reading Time: 4 minutes The first thing you’ll notice as you drive by Grass Roots Family Farm is the orchard — an unlikely sight in rural Alberta, but somehow it seems right at home beside the sprawling vegetable garden. In a paddock near the house, a sow nurses a handful of nearly newborn piglets, and just down the lane […] Read more
It’s Canada’s biggest crop – but forage research remains a hard sell
There has been a dramatic drop in forage research, but it’s not just because producers could make more money growing canola
Reading Time: 4 minutes More than 52 million acres in Alberta are currently used to graze livestock or produce crops like alfalfa and timothy hay, but farmers who manage grasslands and forage fields say their industry is declining so rapidly its future is at risk. “The long-term graph of forage research shows a dramatic drop — probably 70 per […] Read more
‘Average’ Manitoba corn harvest pushed back
CNS Canada –– A southern Manitoba corn agronomist says most corn farmers in the province can expect to see average yields this season. “Normally harvest would begin in late September but I would be surprised if that happened. I think it will be the first or second week of October,” said Morgan Cott of the […] Read more
Wheat bids down again
CNS Canada — Average bids for Canada Western Red Spring (CWRS) wheat moved down by an average of $2 to $5 per tonne across Western Canada during the week ended Friday, as large global wheat supplies weighed on the North American market. The highest CWRS prices were still available in Manitoba, but average bids in […] Read more
Late harvest to hurt Prairie winter wheat seeding
CNS Canada –– Monday (Sept. 15) marks the full coverage crop insurance seeding deadline for winter wheat in Manitoba and Saskatchewan, with Alberta farmers having until the 20th or 30th of the month, depending on their location. A late harvest this year, however, has prevented some farmers from getting the crop seeded in time. “Unfortunately […] Read more
U.S. grains: Soy, corn futures rise; wheat dips on supply glut
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures firmed on Monday on a bargain-buying rebound after hitting their lowest in more than four years, but gains were kept in check by expectations of a record U.S. harvest this fall, traders said. Corn futures also were higher, with short-covering and technical buying featured as prices hovered near […] Read more
Alliance offers support for winter wheat growers
Bayer and JRI team up with Ducks Unlimited to promote agronomic and environmental advances
Reading Time: < 1 minute A new group aims to offer information and support to winter wheat growers. Bayer Crop Science, Richardson International, and Ducks Unlimited are collaborating on the Western Winter Wheat Initiative. “The purpose of this initiative is to build awareness and credibility of winter wheat as a highly productive crop option for western Canadian farmers,” says Janine […] Read more