Category: Crop Schools

The value of a load of canola delivered to an elevator can vary by a few hundred dollars depending on the sieve used by the elevator to determine dockage. According to the Official Grain Grading Guide, an elevator can choose between five different slotted sieves, with slots ranging in size from 0.028 to 0.040 of... Read More

  "When the land is dry, it's no longer about planning, it's about execution — it's our Super Bowl." That's a quote from Pride Seeds' Ken Currah, who caught up with Bernard Tobin for the above Corn School. Currah and Tobin, sheltered from the rain, discussed the importance of preparing for seeding, and having a... Read More

Responding to demands from both the Canadian wheat industry and international customers, the Canadian Grain Commission has proposed creating a new class of milling wheat for Western Canada. As part of this Wheat School West episode, Daryl Beswitherick, program manager for quality assurance with the CGC, explains they believe the creation of a new milling... Read More

Millions of dollars are invested in managing a crop before it's in the bin, and that management doesn't stop just because it's in storage. Sensors that monitor temperature and moisture levels inside a bin are important tools for maintaining the value of a stored crop, notes Joy Agnew of the Prairie Agricultural Machinery Institute at... Read More

Brassicogethes aeneus, commonly referred to as the pollen beetle and formerly known as Meligethes aeneus, is a major pest of canola in countries like Scandinavia, and, is now present in eastern Canada. And, though they are not yet a problem in western Canada, entomologists are suggesting we become familiar with what to look for. "One... Read More

While soybean breeders have focused on boosting top-end yield, they've also made the crop more resilient in situations with thin plant stands. Speaking at the CropConnect Conference in Winnipeg last month, Shaun Conley of the University of Wisconsin discussed the "phenotypic plasticity" of soybeans, or the crop's ability to compensate for lower plant populations. "It's... Read More

While the Canada Grain Act provides farmers with the right to order their own railcars, in reality there have been major challenges for many farmers and their administrators in securing access to producer cars for shipping grain over the last few years. One of the factors contributing to the producer car problem has been an... Read More

With findings of clubroot disease in parts of Western Canada where it has not been a problem before, at what point should a farmer in these new clubroot areas switch to growing clubroot-resistant canola varieties? To make that decision, you must first assess and prioritize the risks to your canola, suggests Anastasia Kubinec, oilseed specialist... Read More

Perhaps you're already acquainted with the wild world of theoretical yields. A theoretical yield is a measure of the genetic potential a plant has, if absolutely nothing hampered yield — not the growing season, environment or pests. Can you guess what soybeans' theoretical yield is? Roughly 350 bushels an acre. Outlandish? Well, it sort of... Read More

A wheat variety might produce huge yields or have stellar disease resistance, but if there's no market for it, there's probably no point in registering the variety for production in Canada. Instead, it might even have a negative impact, damaging Canada's reputation for consistency and quality. As Lisa Nemeth of the Canadian International Grains Institute... Read More