MarketsFarm — ICE Futures canola contracts have recovered off of lows hit at the beginning of the month, with speculative short-covering a feature as attention in the markets turns to North American growing conditions. While canola ran into some resistance Wednesday, there may still be more room to the upside. Canadian canola is at a […] Read more
ICE weekly outlook: Attention on weather after short-covering rally in canola
Snow, cold grind Alberta harvest to virtual standstill
MarketsFarm — Last weekend’s dump of snow coupled with cold temperatures brought the Alberta harvest to a complete halt, according to the province’s latest crop report. For the week ended Oct. 1, the province-wide harvest managed to improve to 33.7 per cent from 28.1 per cent the previous week. This year’s pace was slightly above […] Read more
The farm data overload needs a fix
Ag tech event shows future of farming is data driven — but 'we're not there yet'
Reading Time: 5 minutes Jay Bruggencate has a bit of a bone to pick with the ag-tech industry. “We’ve invested hundreds of thousands of dollars into smart equipment that knows what it’s doing but can’t talk to each other,” said the Lacombe-area farmer at the recent AgSmart event at Olds College. “There’s so much data now available to us […] Read more
How one farm put data analytics to work
Saskatchewan grain farm makes money by assessing data on everything from employees to soil moisture
Reading Time: 6 minutes Most people say, “If it’s not broke, don’t fix it.” But at Hebert Grain Ventures, their motto is, “If it’s not broke, you haven’t looked hard enough.” “We don’t believe that, just because we had a good year or a good yield, that’s enough,” said Evan Shout, the Saskatchewan farm’s chief financial officer. “If we […] Read more
Fall rye’s popularity catching on Prairies
CNS Canada — It’s good and bad news when it comes to winter cereal acreage in Western Canada. Winter wheat acres in Manitoba and Saskatchewan are down this fall, while acreage in Alberta increased, and fall rye acres in all provinces rose. “I think a lot of the guys that were growing winter wheat have […] Read more
In a year of extremes, soil moisture rebound a bright spot
The rain, snow, and cold in early fall had one upside — it recharged soil moisture reserves in much of the province
Reading Time: 4 minutes This year’s harvest was tough, but there is one good thing about it: Soil moisture and subsoil moisture are at almost normal levels in most of the province. “The soil moisture is looking better than it was at the end of August,” said Harry Brook, a crop specialist with Alberta Agriculture and Forestry. “It’s closer […] Read more
Harvest progress behind curve as hot, dry spell ends
Reading Time: 4 minutes Unsettled weather conditions continue to plague the 2018 harvest season. Producers made very little progress this past week as intermittent showers and rainfall affected all regions. Along with the moisture, cooler weather led to unwelcome frost and ended the long-lasting hot dry spell. The early morning hours saw temperatures in the central region fall below […] Read more
Rain, rain don’t go away: How to capture more moisture on your land
When it comes to retaining rainfall, seeing is believing — and new infiltration tool does just that
Reading Time: 3 minutes Drought is a four-letter word in Alberta right now — but also proof that it’s critical to make the most of any moisture we get. “If we’re getting the types of rain we normally get, water infiltration probably isn’t that big of a deal,” said Ken Lewis, conservation co-ordinator with Red Deer County. “But in […] Read more
Prairie crop tour sees slightly bigger wheat, canola yields
Saskatoon | Reuters — Canadian farmers were on track to reap slightly larger wheat and canola yields, despite dry conditions and a wide discrepancy in growth rates, a crop tour estimated on Thursday. The inaugural Grain World crop tour, organized by FarmLink Marketing Solutions, toured the Prairie provinces on Tuesday and Wednesday. Moisture conditions vary […] Read more
Farming every acre doesn’t pay when the wind is howling
Producers are being urged to ‘rethink’ shelterbelts and how they preserve moisture and protect soil
Reading Time: 2 minutes Alberta farmers are being urged to “rethink” shelterbelts — and soil conservation experts agree. Zero till hasn’t made shelterbelts obsolete and this year’s dry conditions have shown the value of having something to disrupt the flow of hot winds blowing over fields, said Toso Bozic, Alberta Agriculture’s agro-forestry specialist. “Planting new windbreaks needs to be […] Read moreCyber-Savvy Farmer
