Eight soil health projects across Canada will be getting a multi-million-dollar boost in private funding over the next five years. The Weston Family Foundation — the philanthropic arm of the Weston business empire — has slated $10 million for those eight projects through the organization’s soil health initiative, it was announced Feb. 13. The initiative […] Read more
Multi-million-dollar fund greenlights soil health projects
Eight projects to push soil health practices will get funding for the next five years
Acclaimed Manitoba stored grain researcher now Alberta bound
Digvir Jayas named president at University of Lethbridge
A leading Canadian researcher and expert in safe storage of grain is headed westbound and up to the head office at another Prairie university. Dr. Digvir Jayas, currently on sabbatical as professor and vice-president (research and international) at the University of Manitoba, will become president and vice-chancellor at the University of Lethbridge effective July 1 […] Read more
![“The potential loss of [these products] as effective herbicides for kochia control is staggering because affected farmers will have limited control options remaining.” – Brian Jenks.](https://static.albertafarmexpress.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/20153727/weed-kochia-wheat-1016-file-660x420.jpg)
Kochia control suffers another blow, North Dakota study finds
Two popular products widely used on the Prairies seem less effective
Reading Time: < 1 minute Some kochia populations in western North Dakota likely have developed resistance to commonly used pre-plant burndown herbicides, a North Dakota State University study has found. For many years, no-till farmers have used Aim (carfentrazone) and Sharpen (saflufenacil) either just before or just after planting to control emerged kochia and other annual weeds. On the Prairies, […] Read more
Reduce NO2 emissions 30 per cent? No problem, says expert
Nitrification inhibitors and legumes are clear winners but split application not effective in much of Alberta
Reading Time: 3 minutes Achieving a 30 per cent reduction in nitrous oxide emissions from nitrogen fertilizer shouldn’t be a tall order for a crop sector or even individual farms, says a leader in 4R nutrient management research. “Research across the Prairies has shown that it is possible to reduce emissions quite significantly without the need to drop the […] Read more
At this sold-out conference, it’s the attendees who are the big draw
Networking is the first order of business for the 500 soil health devotees at the highly popular event
Reading Time: 5 minutes Shorty Fensky first found his passion for soil health when he went to the 2015 Western Canada Conference on Soil Health. Seven years later, he was back – sharing that passion on a producer panel. “At the 2015 conference, the very first presenter was Dr. Yamily Zavala and her presentation was called ‘What is Soil […] Read more
Bolivia farm region blocks borders, grain transport in protests
Santa Cruz/La Paz | Reuters — Protesters in Bolivia’s farming region of Santa Cruz are blocking highways out of the province, threatening to snarl the domestic transport of grains and food, as anger simmers following the arrest of local governor Luis Camacho. The region, a stronghold of the conservative opposition to socialist President Luis Arce, […] Read more
Rice could grow nice in southern Alberta
The harvest was a bust, but with more suitable varieties the Asian staple could be grown, trial determines
Reading Time: 3 minutes While it wasn’t the success hoped for, researchers have proven that rice can be grown under irrigation in southern Alberta. The plants failed to reach harvest, but project lead Michelle Konschuh said they did surprisingly well for a crop rarely grown in Canada. “We didn’t quite get to the finish line,” said the irrigated crop […] Read more
Carlsberg to buy Ontario’s Waterloo Brewing
Danish brewing giant paying $144 million to scale up Canadian business
One of the world’s biggest beer companies is moving to expand its brewing capacity on Canadian soil with a $144 million deal for Kitchener-based Waterloo Brewing. Carlsberg Group on Wednesday announced an all-cash deal worth $4 per share for all shares of Waterloo Brewing, which bills itself as the largest Canadian-owned brewery in Ontario and […] Read more
NASA to conduct first global water survey from space
Data would bolster weather and climate forecasts
Los Angeles | Reuters — A NASA-led international satellite mission was set for blastoff from southern California early on Thursday on a major Earth science project to conduct a comprehensive survey of the world’s oceans, lakes and rivers for the first time. Dubbed SWOT, short for Surface Water and Ocean Topography, the advanced radar satellite […] Read more
Drones are ready to go spraying but regs haven’t kept up
Larger drones now a viable alternative but federal rules don’t allow spraying crop protection products
Reading Time: 4 minutes A single drone can fly into rough terrain and spray herbicide on hard-to-reach patches of weeds. Fly three of the largest in tandem and they have the airborne equivalent of a 100-foot spray boom, say proponents, with a cost one-quarter to one-third that of a 100-foot boom. Welcome to the world of drones that can […] Read more
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