Reading Time: 4 minutes Ag Canada is forecasting a jump in canola, barley and wheat acres this year — but rotations and sticking with the tried and true seem to be top of mind for many Alberta producers. But specialty crops are getting a look as grain and oilseed producers look for options that could beef up the bottom […] Read more
Decisions, decisions — what will you plant this spring?
It’s only a small sample, but rotation looms large for these four farmers — although there’s an opening for something that’s the right fit
Myth busted: Properly processed feed wheat won’t cause digestive upset
Researchers in Lethbridge swapped wheat for barley in a cattle ration without any negative effects — but the wheat must be properly processed
Reading Time: 3 minutes Shrinking barley acres have cattle producers on the hunt for a low-cost feed option. And feed wheat could be the answer — as long as the wheat is processed properly. “There was a feeling out there that you probably couldn’t feed more than 50 per cent wheat in the diet because wheat is quite rapidly […] Read more
Ont. oat, barley growers approve GFO entry
Ontario’s barley and oat growers have voted just over three-quarters in favour of representation by the province’s wheat, corn and soybean growers’ organization. Grain Farmers of Ontario (GFO) confirmed Monday that eligible growers voted 77 per cent in favour of the move in a November vote conducted by the Ontario Farm Products Marketing Commission. GFO […] Read more
Feed barley market quiet, awaiting new year
CNS Canada –– The feed barley market is in the middle of its seasonal slowdown. While demand should pick back up in the New Year, the prices might not have much room to the upside, given ample feed wheat supplies. “If you didn’t look at the calendar, you could still guess it was December,” said […] Read more
Ont. barley, oat growers set to vote on GFO membership
Ontario’s Farm Products Marketing Commission will run a vote for the province’s oats and barley growers starting Friday, to decide whether Grain Farmers of Ontario (GFO) will be the growers’ voice going forward. The commission will conduct a mail-in vote from Friday (Oct. 31) to Nov. 17 to see whether oat and barley growers wish […] Read more
The bottom line on grain storage
Reading Time: 2 minutes AARD Release / Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development has a pair of new fact sheets on the pros and cons of various grain storage options. “With record crop yields and transport delays of 2013, came greater interest of on-farm storage options,” said Jennifer Stoby, provincial market analyst for agriculture inputs. “Choosing the right grain storage […] Read more
A lesson in (barley) emasculation
Reporter's notebook: Pollination and plant breeding at Lacombe Field Day
Reading Time: 2 minutes The more I learn about plant breeding, the more I feel I missed my true calling in life. And a recent attempt at crossing two barley plants at the Lacombe Field Day only fuelled my secret ambition. I worked with Laura Hoge, a germplasm technician at Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development, in a machine shed […] Read more
Swath grazing cereals saves half of overwintering costs in beef cattle
With new higher-yielding, higher-quality forage cereals in the works, there has never been a better time for beef cattle producers to try swath grazing cereals
Reading Time: 2 minutes Swath grazing cereals could save producers almost half the cost of overwintering cattle, says a federal forage researcher. “Extended grazing practices like swath grazing, bale grazing, and grazing second-cut grasses in the fall are one of the most effective ways to reduce your overwintering costs of beef cows,” Vern Baron said at the Lacombe Field […] Read more
Study shows no downside to pre-harvest glyphosate on malt barley
Pre-harvest glyphosate applied at the right time and the right rate has no negative impact on malt barley germination — a key concern for maltsters
Reading Time: 2 minutes Malt barley producers battling secondary growth in the fall may soon be able to add glyphosate to their arsenal, thanks to a federal research study underway across the Prairies. These preliminary findings are part of a larger study looking at agronomic practices to improve malt barley quality and yield, said federal research scientist John O’Donovan. […] Read more
Big changes coming to plant breeding
With Ottawa poised to step back from developing market-ready cultivars, wheat and barley breeding is in for big changes
Reading Time: 3 minutes What do Prairie farmers want when it comes to cereal breeding? That’s the question being posed by the Western Grains Research Foundation, the farmer-run conduit for most of western grain farmers’ investment in agricultural research. “Breeding is a long-term process,” Garth Patterson, the foundation’s executive director, said at Winter Cereals Manitoba’s recent annual meeting. “You […] Read more
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