Reading Time: 2 minutes Two longtime Canola Council of Canada agronomists have moved on while another who specializes in cereals has joined Alberta Wheat and Alberta Barley. Dan Orchard, who covered agronomy in Wetaskiwin, is now consulting in the same region, and Greg Sekulic, who was responsible for the Peace Country is joining Croplife Australia. “Nobody was cut, nobody […] Read more
Familiar figures in the provincial agronomy scene on the move
Two canola council agronomists leave organization while cereal commissions hire second crop specialist
Cereal groups’ amalgamation talks slowed by pandemic
Alberta Barley and Alberta Wheat aiming to wrap up review of merger proposal in coming year
Reading Time: 3 minutes There’s no marriage proposal yet, but Alberta Barley and Alberta Wheat want to get moving on what has become a longer-than-expected process on whether to amalgamate or not. “We’re just in the beginning stage of where it will go, and the timeline and how to communicate,” Dave Bishop, immediate past chair of the Alberta Barley […] Read more
Sawyer new Alberta Barley chair
Reading Time: < 1 minute Tara Sawyer is the new chair of Alberta Barley, succeeding Dave Bishop. The Acme-area producer is serving her second year as a director-at-large while Wade McAllister of Innisfail starts his second year as vice-chair. “Our organization has made significant strides in the last year, including the finalization of two new barley-breeding agreements that will ensure […] Read more
Prairie Cereals Summit cancelled
Reading Time: < 1 minute The rise in COVID cases has forced Alberta Wheat and Alberta Barley to cancel its Prairie Cereals Summit in Banff in December, although Alberta Barley’s AGM will be held online on Dec. 9. The barley group is encouraging farmers to register to participate in the online AGM and delegate and director session that will feature […] Read more
Give a thought to serving on a farm group, says outgoing barley chair
You’ll not only help your fellow farmers but learn a lot and meet ‘great people,’ says Dave Bishop
Reading Time: 2 minutes Getting producers to serve on farm groups can sometimes be a challenge — but those who do typically say it’s been a great experience. And that includes outgoing Alberta Barley chair Dave Bishop. “We all have term limits and my term is up,” said Bishop, who farms near Barons. “It’s been a bit of a […] Read more
Crop commissions now in charge of Blue Book
Reading Time: < 1 minute The province’s big four crop commissions are taking over publication of the Blue Book. The popular annual update of information on herbicides, insecticides, fungicides and seed treatments has been published by the provincial Agriculture Ministry for more than two decades. But the province’s wheat, barley, canola and pulse commissions are now taking over the publication […] Read more
We’ll meet again — but not likely in person for a while
This year’s round of meetings will be mostly virtual but commissions hope producers stay involved
Reading Time: 3 minutes The fall meeting season hasn’t fallen by the wayside, but it will be very different. “We haven’t done any in-person events since the pandemic started, and we will not be doing any in-person events until at least February or March 2021,” said Rick Taillieu, manager of grower relations and extension for Alberta Canola. “Along the […] Read more
Many opportunities open to serve with cereal organizations
Nomination deadlines October 30
Reading Time: < 1 minute Alberta Barley is looking for two directors and nearly two dozen delegates while Alberta Wheat is seeking four directors and six regional reps. The barley commission has one director opening in Region 1 and one director-at-large from either Regions 1, 4, 5 or 6. Its six regions have anywhere from two to six delegate spots […] Read more
Farm groups ‘disappointed’ by research cuts
Reading Time: < 1 minute Alberta Wheat and Alberta Barley say they are “disappointed at the level of research that will be conducted this year” by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. The two farm groups say Ag Canada management has suggested field trials will only be about 30 per cent of capacity this year because of constraints created by the pandemic, […] Read more
Crop webinars being held Wednesdays
Reading Time: < 1 minute With summer field days cancelled for now, Alberta Wheat and Alberta Barley are hosting webinars every Wednesday at 11 a.m. Each In The Field webinars will feature a guest presenter and Q-and-A session. The upcoming schedule is: U of Alberta Professor Boyd Mori on insects (May 20); retired provincial agronomist Ross McKenzie on in-crop nitrogen […] Read more
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