Reading Time: 3 minutes Brian Beres wasn’t surprised to find more diverse rotations increase cereal grain yields, improve soil health, and increase microbial biomass. What surprised him was how canola fared under tight rotations. Quite well, as a matter of fact. “It was surprising to see that canola didn’t respond to diversity if you looked at crop response variables […] Read more
Tight rotations may not harm canola yields — but soil health suffers
A long-term study on diversity in rotations produced some surprises, but the benefits were also clear
Peas seen gaining strength in second half of export year
CNS Canada — Prices for Canadian green and yellow peas stand to increase as the 2014-15 export year rolls along, in part due to weather damage from excess moisture as well as continued demand from Asia, according to an industry-watcher. “I’m more optimistic for yellow peas just because we can really see strong demand later […] Read more
New root rots slamming Alberta pea growers
Producers across the Prairies are facing devastating losses in their pea crops — and new species of root rots may be to blame
Reading Time: 5 minutes On bad years — those with cool, wet springs; years like this one — Donald Mueller is lucky if his pea fields yield three bushels an acre. He’ll make back his seed and not much else, losing north of $400 an acre in inputs. Still, the good years have made up for the bad, so […] 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
The market forecast? Grim and grimmer
Reading Time: 2 minutes It’s not happy news, but here is the market forecast delivered to FarmTech attendees by Jonathon Driedger, senior analyst with FarmLink Marketing Solutions. Canola The rise in American soybean prices has pushed up canola in recent years, but it’s now becoming an anchor as U.S. farmers are expected to plant more soybeans and less corn […] Read more
As storm clouds gather, farmers urged to batten down the hatches
Experts say current grain prices are normal, knowing your cost of production critical, and hope is not a marketing strategy
Reading Time: 5 minutes It was standing room only at every FarmTech market outlook session, and the faces told the tale: anxious-looking producers leaning forward, hanging on every word, searching for rays of hope as the storm clouds roll in. But the message was blunt — there will be no quick bounce-back from the steep fall in grain and […] Read more
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