Reading Time: 3 minutes Lately I have been curious about lettuce. The plant has been traced back to Egypt some 6,000 years ago and is a member of the sunflower family. That may surprise you because we often think of sunflowers in terms of the flower and the oil. But lettuce was not grown for its leaves, it was […] Read more
Schoepp: Many popular foods have a long history — and an uncertain future
Food crisis fuels fears of protectionism compounding shortages
Davos | Reuters — A growing world food crisis is precipitating protectionist moves by countries which are likely to compound the problem and could lead to a wider trade war, business leaders and policymakers at the World Economic Forum said. In a sign of the escalating squeeze on food supplies and rising prices, a government […] Read more
Another way to lower emissions from fertilizers
How do these higher-efficiency products work and can they work for you?
Reading Time: 2 minutes While the federal government views 4R stewardship as a way to substantially cut greenhouse gas emissions from fertilizer use, there is another way — more efficient fertilizer products that reduce volatilization, leaching and denitrification. And many farmers are using these fertilizers, which fall into two main categories: inhibitors and slow- or controlled-release formulations. David Carlson […] Read more
Planting progress picking up in Saskatchewan
MarketsFarm — Overall spring planting across Saskatchewan reached 33 per cent complete as of Monday, according to the latest weekly crop report from Saskatchewan Agriculture. Despite the good progress over the week, that’s still 20 points behind the five-year average. When compared to the excellent progress this time last year, the gap expands to 41 […] Read more
Trudeau pledges help for Ukraine to find options to export grain
Turkey's co-operation seen as important, Joly says
Kyiv | Reuters — Canada will help Ukraine work out options on how to export stored grain to address global food security that has been shaken by Russia’s invasion of the country, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said late on Sunday. Nearly 25 million tonnes of grains are stuck in Ukraine, unable to leave the country […] Read more
World could see 1.5 C of warming in next five years, WMO reports
London | Reuters — The world faces a 50 per cent chance of warming of 1.5 C above pre-industrial levels, if only briefly, by 2026, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said on Monday. That does not mean the world would be crossing the long-term warming threshold of 1.5 C (2.7 F), which scientists have set […] Read more
Drought gone in Manitoba but worsening in Alberta, AAFC reports
MarketsFarm — Record-breaking precipitation in southern Manitoba and eastern Saskatchewan helped improve moisture conditions in the region in April, taking much of the area out of the drought classification, according to the latest Drought Monitor report from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) for the period ended April 30. Two separate Colorado lows brought significant snow, […] Read more
StatsCan reports sharp decline in field crop stocks
Stocks tighter than most traders had estimated
MarketsFarm — Statistics Canada’s report on the country’s principal field crop stocks, released Friday, reflects an ever-tightening supply brought on by last year’s drought. With the exception of corn and soybeans, all of the crops listed suffered a supply decline of at least 10 per cent compared to the year before, as of March 31. […] Read more
German seed company buys Prairie forage seed firm
DSV to take up full control of Northstar Seed
A Prairie company producing and selling forage, turf and grass seed for international and domestic markets is set to be an early foothold for a German seed firm in North America. DSV (Deutsche Saatveredelung) announced last week it has reached a deal in early April to buy up all shares of Northstar Seed, which is […] Read more
Dealing with herbicide shortages
Reading Time: < 1 minute Alberta Wheat and Alberta Barley along with their Prairie counterparts have put out a five-page guide titled “Strategies for managing herbicide shortages.” (link below) It covers management practices (such as higher seeding rates and spraying when weeds are small) but also tank mixes. While going below product rates on the label is not recommended, there […] Read more
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