Unlike biodiesel, renewable diesel is chemically the same as petroleum-derived diesel. That means, renewable diesel is a one-to-one swap out for diesel and is a low-carbon fuel option. That matters, especially as the Canadian government pushes for continued lowering of emissions and is providing incentives for biofuel, including renewable diesel. To explore how renewable diesel... Read More
Category: Crop Production
The Canadian government is contributing up to $100 million to minimize the carbon emissions from BHP's new $7.5 billion potash mine at Jansen, Saskatchewan. The federal contribution from the Strategic Innovation Fund was announced by François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, and Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, alongside BHP's CEO Mike... Read More
The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) will not be performing soil nitrate tests for public extension this growing season. Which begs the question: will it pay for farmers and agronomists to draw tests in corn fields anyway? The answer — if the field saw any manure or red clover the in... Read More
Validating economic thresholds for flea beetles can be tricky — especially when we know the damage the insect can do to the canola crop. Héctor Cárcamo, research scientist at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) at Lethbridge, Alta., recently completed a study that confirms an economic threshold. The team at AAFC found that 25 per cent... Read More
The race is on for many corn growers as they hustle to apply post-emergent herbicides to control yield-robbing weeds. The duration of the post-emergence application window depends on the herbicide. A product like glyphosate can be applied all the way up to the 8-leaf stage. But other herbicides have tighter timing and need to be... Read More
If you're the happiest farmer in the world right now, you might be in Alberta, or maybe Ontario, as both regions got some much needed and timely rain respectively. For southern Manitoba and eastern Ontario, however, conditions are either get-the-seeder-stuck wet or make-the-wheat-pink wet. Early heat this season is pushing some insect populations higher than... Read More
With some insects, we may be confused as to why they have the name they do. When it comes to cutworms — this isn't the case. It's pretty "cut" and dry...as the pest will feed on the stems of the plant. Cutworms unfortunately don't have terrific forecast maps, as Jack Payne of South Country Co-op... Read More
Drought conditions are adding insult to injury for some cattle producers who considering tough decisions if pasture conditions don't improve soon. Producers Jocelyn and Travis Wasko, who own XTC Ranches and Bar 4 Bar Ranches near Eastend Sask., are going into their third year of drought conditions and say they continue to employ a "take... Read More
Purchases of diesel fuel happens several times a year on nearly all Canadian farms, and yet, it's a purchase that is rarely hedged. That's according to the latest RealAgristudies survey on diesel fuel purchasing, which wrapped in late May. Regardless of acreage or gross income level, most farms don't have more than 25 per cent... Read More
This editorial was first published on Breaking the Box blog by Kristjan Hebert. I call myself a recovering accountant. I joke about it, but I do love numbers. Numbers don’t lie. As much as I have a soft spot for a family farm and building a legacy for my children, it always comes down to... Read More