Reading Time: 3 minutes Extreme bouts of hot weather are particularly stressful for horses and for some, even more stressful than extreme bouts of cold weather. Thus it becomes particularly important to identify the individuals at a greater risk for heat stress and what factors can provide extra care for them when necessary. Those particularly prone to heat stress […] Read more

Keep watch and take quick action when it’s sizzling out
You can help your horse beat the heat with a few simple steps

Grain commission tweaks grading tests for start of new crop year
New test for assessing mildew and heat/frost stress will prevent unnecessary downgrading of wheat
Reading Time: 2 minutes Grading factors for mildew and heat/frost stress when grading western Canadian wheat will be tweaked starting Aug. 1, the start of the 2018-19 crop year, the Canadian Grain Commission has announced. “It’s not a significant difference,” said Daryl Beswitherick, the grain commission’s program manager for quality assurance standards and reinspection. “The frequency of the factors […] Read more

Australian lawmaker pushes to end live sheep exports
Sydney | Reuters — An Australian backbencher on Monday introduced legislation to parliament to ban the export of live sheep after the death of 2,400 animals led to widespread criticism of the A$250 million (C$241.96 million) industry. The bill threatens to expose fractures within the ruling coalition government, which last week introduced tougher oversight of […] Read more

Globalized economy seen more susceptible to weather extremes
Barcelona | Thomson Reuters Foundation — The globalization of the world’s economy this century has made it far more vulnerable to the impacts of extreme weather, including heat stress on workers, scientists said Friday. A study by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research and Columbia University showed production losses caused by high temperatures, predicted […] Read more

U.S. may kill poultry with heat stress to stop bird flu
Chicago | Reuters –– U.S. agriculture officials seeking ways to control deadly bird flu have approved the use of a method to kill poultry by turning up the heat in their barns and shutting off ventilation systems. The Agriculture Department will consider using the method, condemned by animal rights groups as cruel, if there are […] Read more

Check your numbers. Is it worth spending money on a foliar fertilizer?
Producers probably won’t see a good return on foliar fertilizers and hype around micronutrients is mostly ‘marketing’
Reading Time: 2 minutes In a dry year like this one, investing in foliar fertilizer probably won’t pay off. “Conditions at the time of spraying are the trump card,” said agronomist Jack Payne at canolaPALOOZA in late June. “Herbicides are also absorbed through the foliage, but if the plant’s not actively growing — if it’s shutting down because of […] Read more