Crops
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
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
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
Aug. 1 brings grain grading and other changes
A number of grain grading and variety classification changes take effect Aug. 1, the first day of the new 2014-15 crop year, the Canadian Grain Commission (CGC) said in a news release. Producer cars also must now be ordered online, although farmers still have the option of ordering via fax. The new online ordering system […] Read more
Feds fund poultry code updates and hort programs
The federal government has announced funding of over $2 million to the Canadian Animal Health Coalition (CAHC) to develop and update poultry codes and further advance best practices for the care and handling of other farm animals. The government has also announced funding of over $1.4 million for the Vineland Research and Innovation Centre to […] Read more
DuPont breaks ground on new ultra-early maturity corn research facility
Lethbridge, Alberta, July 30, 2014 –DuPont Pioneer has begun construction of a new multi-million dollar research facility in Lethbridge, Alberta, focused on developing ultra-early maturity corn products for growers in Alberta and Western Canada. “This facility supports our commitment to providing growers in Western Canada with more choice through the development of ultra-early corn products that may […] Read more
Fungicide spraying on the rise
Shorter rotations and humid conditions are making fungicide more popular
Reading Time: 3 minutes It seems people don’t question the need to spray fungicide any longer. “A lot more producers are more aware of diseases and are making the decision to spray fungicide a lot more than they used to,” said Mark Cutts, a crop specialist with Alberta Agriculture’s Ag Info centre in Stettler. “That goes across the province […] Read more
Western Canada wheat yields higher than average
Yorkton, Sask.— Spring wheat and durum yields are trending above average in Western Canada, but large pockets had no crop after heavy rain earlier this month, a crop tour observed on Wednesday. Much of the crop that survived is also developing late in western Manitoba and eastern Saskatchewan and will need extra time to ripen […] Read more
ICE Canada canola drops following cash market sales
ICE Canada canola futures eased in early trading on Wednesday, pressured by some recent farmer sales, traders said. * Losses in U.S. soybean futures added further pressure to the market. * A weaker Canadian dollar, which boosts export interest, kept declines in check. * Scouts on Cereal’s North America Canadian crop tour found some spring […] Read more
Saskatchewan canola crop development variable: crop tour
CNS– The development of canola was clearly at varying stages of development in east central and southeast Saskatchewan during the third day of a crop tour organized by CWB (formerly the Canadian Wheat Board). On July 30, participants took a circuitous tour starting in Yorkton, then going northwest to Melfort, before once again heading south […] Read more
Putting a price on hay a challenge in summer
A host of factors makes it a challenge to price hay in summer, but there are ways to value your standing hay crop
Reading Time: 2 minutes July is the most difficult time for figuring out the price of hay, and this year is no exception, says provincial farm business management specialist Ted Nibourg. “Two long hard winters back to back reduced much of the hay carry-over in the province,” says Nibourg. “There were numerous reports of strong hay prices earlier this […] Read more