Drought conditions, and the odds of more to come, have some Prairie canola growers pondering when to roll the dice on seeding, if they want to do more than feed the flea beetles. Small-seeded crops, such as canola, have garnered particular concern from agronomists and producers worried about germination, given power dry topsoil across much […] Read more
Forecast, flea beetles complicate canola timing
Dry conditions make ideal seeding time difficult to peg
Ag publishing house Issues Ink sold
Farms.com buys Winnipeg media company
Online ag information company Farms.com has taken another step into Canadian print media by buying ag publishing and consulting company Issues Ink. Winnipeg-based Issues Ink publishes Germination, Spud Smart, the Alberta Seed Guide, European Seed and Seed World. Its Seed World Group division also includes Seed World Create, a consulting unit providing marketing and communications […] Read more
Prairie dryness concerns to persist
MarketsFarm — Large areas of Western Canada remain on the dry side, with little moisture in the immediate forecasts. And while it’s still early in the growing season, the interplay of conflicting patterns from the south and north will determine whether the dry areas receive timely precipitation during the growing season. “We are looking at […] Read more
Putting seed to the test — it’s not just about germination
A vigour test tells you more, especially in a year like this one that follows a tough harvest
Reading Time: 4 minutes The seed you plant is ground zero for any healthy, profitable crop. So it only makes sense to know as much about it as possible before putting it in the ground. However, a lot of producers are still doing the bare minimum of seed testing, and experts say it’s causing them to miss out. Although […] Read more
Outlook improves for Prairies’ winter cereals
CNS Canada — Following concerns in September about seeding winter cereals in dry conditions, acres are down but crops seeded in Western Canada are doing good heading into the winter. “Very little moisture is required in the fall to get that seed to germinate and start growing, especially if it’s been seeded shallow,” said Amanda […] Read more
Flax Council cautions on seed integrity
With the latest official acreage estimates showing a jump in flax acres across much of Western Canada, the Flax Council of Canada is urging caution. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s latest Seeded Acreage Report is expecting 1.1 million acres to go into the ground this year, putting pressure on seed supplies, and putting the integrity of […] Read more
Prairie canola reseeding done ‘in a hurry’
CNS Canada — Farmers are reported to have mainly finished reseeding canola fields that were damaged by a frost event in the eastern Prairies in late May. “It happened in a hurry. A lot of producers, retail agronomists and seed companies were working overtime to get it all done. It’s pretty impressive, a lot of […] Read more
Dawson: Time to assess crops for frost, water damage
Each day it gets easier to assess how much damage frost and excessive moisture did to Manitoba crops over the Victoria Day long weekend. Farmers can expect their soybeans to emerge this week because of warm and sunny conditions — and that germination will probably suffer in some soybean fields. “I’m expecting to see a […] Read more
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
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