Reading Time: 2 minutes You don’t need a PhD in agriculture to know that water is critical to crop production. But for years, people like Jonathan Proctor have been trying to explain why the importance of water isn’t showing up in statistical models of crop yield. “Studies analyzing how crop yields respond to temperature and rainfall tend to find […] Read more
Soil moisture more critical than rainfall to estimate climate impact
Yields don’t always correspond to rainfall amounts, but researchers have solved that mystery
Simplot to buy western Saskatchewan ag retail chain
G-Mac's AgTeam to rebrand under Simplot name
An independent crop input retail chain in western Saskatchewan is set to become part of agrifood firm J.R. Simplot’s retail arm. Simplot announced Nov. 15 it has a deal in place to buy G-Mac’s AgTeam, which owns and operates 15 outlets in the region, for an undisclosed sum. The deal, which will see the G-Mac’s […] Read more
Feds pledge agriculture office for Indo-Pacific export support
Ottawa aims to tighten ties with region
Updated Nov. 23 — Canada’s latest round of federal efforts to boost economic ties with the Indo-Pacific region will include its first dedicated agriculture and agri-food office in the region. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s tour through the region last week included a pledge of $31.8 million over five years for a regional agriculture office, to […] Read more
Drought expands across western Prairies
MarketsFarm — Drought conditions expanded across Alberta and Saskatchewan in October, with very little precipitation across the agricultural regions of the two provinces since August. That’s according to the latest Canadian Drought Monitor from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, as of Oct. 31. At the end of that month, 72 per cent of the Prairie region […] Read more
At least 12 killed in Nigeria attack over farmland
Gunmen appear in village in north
Abuja | Reuters — Gunmen have killed at least 12 people in an attack on a village in the northern Nigerian state of Plateau, residents and the state governor said on Wednesday, the latest deadly incident fuelled by growing pressure on land resources in the country. Violence between farmers and pastoralists has become increasingly common […] Read more
A quick video primer on soil sampling
Reading Time: < 1 minute Veteran soil scientist Ross McKenzie has joined Alberta Wheat and Barley agronomy expert Jeremy Boychyn to create a YouTube video on soil sampling. The seven-minute video covers topics such as the difference between spring and fall sampling (tip: wait until soil cools down before sampling in autumn). But the video mainly focuses on how to […] Read more
New digs offer a big boost to ag research in Peace Country
Sarda has had to make do for years, but a new $1-million facility will change that
Reading Time: 3 minutes The shop is in a building built seven decades ago and shows its age. It’s a hike from there to the rented office space in the local municipal district building, which is full at the best of times and overflowing when farmers or summer students show up. Most importantly, worn-out facilities and rented land are […] Read more
Nigeria’s flooding spreads to Delta, upending lives, livelihoods
Over a million acres of farmland damaged, wrecked
Rivers State, Nigeria | Reuters — People wade through fast-flowing water, holding one another to avoid being swept away, balancing suitcases, clothing and food on their heads. The torrent was, until recently, the East-West Road in Nigeria’s Rivers state, the gateway to the nation’s oil and gas. Now parts of Rivers, along with large swathes […] Read more
Alberta issues final crop report for year
Harvest over 98 per cent done by region and crop type
MarketsFarm –– For the second year in a row the Alberta harvest wrapped up well ahead of the five-year average. With a gain of three points for the week ended Tuesday, Alberta Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Economic Development (AFRED) pegged the combining of major crops at 99.2 per cent complete. That’s 22 and a half […] Read more
Manitoba’s harvest 79 per cent complete, report says
Cereal harvest wrapped in most areas
MarketsFarm — Harvest operations across Manitoba were 79 per cent complete as of Tuesday, according to the latest crop report from the provincial agriculture department. That figure was up from 63 per cent the previous week, but two weeks off the five-year average of 89 per cent. Harvest progress was the most advanced in central […] Read more
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