Because of rain or snow, crops in Alberta have suffered downgrades this year. On John Wozniak’s 2,500-acre farm near St. Paul, more than 1,500 acres of cereals remain unharvested — including this wheat field hit by snow in the third week of October.

‘Modernize’ grain grading, says Alberta Wheat

farm group says farmers would make more if Canadian grain Commission changes grading for sprouting and fusarium damage

Reading Time: 4 minutes Alberta Wheat wants the Canadian Grain Commission to “modernize” its grading system, saying it doesn’t align with market demands of international buyers. “It all comes down to wanting more objective measurements for quality standards,” said Kevin Auch, chair of the Alberta Wheat Commission. “We’ve got some pretty good grading standards — don’t get me wrong […] Read more

Seven steps to accurate soil testing

Seven steps to accurate soil testing

Many Prairie farmers spend $250,000 or more on fertilizer each year. Are you getting your moneys worth? Applying fertilizer nutrient that is not needed is a waste of money. If you don’t apply a needed fertilizer, you’ll see a loss in yield and revenue. Soil testing can provide an excellent picture of the nutrient levels[...]
Read more


7 tips for on-farm research tests

7 tips for on-farm research tests

Is that shiny new product likely to work on your farm? To separate the heifer dust from the cream of the crop, farmers need to take a hard look at the research behind the marketing claims. John Heard, soil fertility specialist with Manitoba Agriculture, says the best way to learn about good research “is to[...]
Read more

Four steps to managing herbicides

Four steps to managing herbicides

Cutting herbicide resistance risks comes down to managing herbicides, in part. Here are four tips for doing that better, courtesy of Kate Sanford Mitchell, who manages Bayer CropScience’s herbicide and insecticide portfolios for oilseeds.


wheat field

Crop conditions improve, harvest operations underway

Alberta crop conditions as of August 9

Reading Time: 2 minutes Rains continued to fall across the province stretching from the Peace Region to the Southern Region. Provincially, crop conditions improved for all Regions from a week ago and are rated as 84 per cent in good or excellent condition, up one per cent from a week ago and up 13 per cent from the 5-year[...]
Read more

Hail, flooding damage some crops, but most ‘good to excellent’

Alberta crop conditions as of August 2

Reading Time: < 1 minute Over the past week, rainfall activity has been convective in nature, with heavy downpours leading to localized flooding, and in some cases damaging hail across the province. This has maintained soil moisture levels, but slowed haying progress and reduced hay quality. In cases where crops are not performing well, it is largely due to excessive[...]
Read more


Five tips for Keeping it Clean from Cereals Canada

With increased scrutiny from end-users farmers need to be vigilant to ensure their crops aren’t rejected

Stick to the pre-harvest interval (PHI). The PHI (or Spray to Swath Interval) is the number of days that must pass between the last application of a pesticide and swathing or straight combining. Read labels carefully and check out the provincial Guides to Crop Protection or consult your local provincial agronomist for more information. After[...]
Read more

VIDEO: Canada’s agricultural markets update for Aug. 3, 2016

VIDEO: Canada’s agricultural markets update for Aug. 3, 2016

Reading Time: < 1 minute D’Arce McMillan, The Western Producer markets editor, monitors trends in the North American and global agricultural markets. Each week he hosts a market video about crops designed to help viewers understand the forces responsible for changes in the trade. The Western Producer is a member of the Glacier FarmMedia network.


(Kelloggs.ca)

Kellogg’s sales miss analysts’ estimates

Reuters — Kellogg Co.’s quarterly sales dropped 6.6 per cent, missing analysts’ estimates, as demand slid further for its breakfast foods and snacks, which include Corn Flakes and Froot Loops. Kellogg also said a strong dollar was expected to hurt sales this year more than it had anticipated, mainly due to a sharp fall in[...]
Read more

Field of ripening intermediate wheatgrass at The Land Institute’s research farm in Salina, Kansas on July 30, 2008.

Perennial grain: It’s two — yes, two — crops in one

It’s been a decades’ 
long search, but researchers believe the finish line is in sight for a crop that can be both grazed and then harvested for its grain

Reading Time: 4 minutes As concerns grow over sustainability in modern farming, researchers are looking to the past in search of crops that can both meet the needs of farmers and consumers as well as the environment. Thinopyrum intermedium — commonly known as intermediate wheatgrass — is one of the fruits of that research. It’s been nearly three decades[...]
Read more