Five Canadian seed-based associations are finalizing the process of merging into one, industry-wide organization, and while the move is a welcome one across the industry, the process comes at a challenging time in the agriculture industry. Still, the move is needed and a positive one, say industry participants. The Seed Synergy process is to create... Read More
Category: Crops
Will relay intercropping work in Ontario? For a second year, RealAgriculture agronomist Peter Johnson has been keeping a close eye on relay intercropping trials planted in the province. The objective of the research is to evaluate whether Ontario farmers could effectively plant soybeans into standing wheat versus double cropping soybeans that are planted after wheat... Read More
There is a new seed organization in the works for Canada. The actual name has yet to be decided and several details have are still to be hammered out, so for now it will be called "NSO" short for — you guessed it, new seed organization. But while the new name and governance is not... Read More
If you've been waiting for Peter 'Wheat Pete' Johnson to answer your question about soil sampling, you're going to have to wait another week, because this week is mostly about corn, corn, and more corn. And that's just the kind of week it's been in Ontario, as corn harvest ever so slowly creeps towards complete... Read More
The future of how breeding is funded in Canada is under review and headed for change. The "value creation" consultations created much engagement and debate last winter, where producers were asked to weigh in on an end-point or trailing royalties on new varieties. While some people have attempted to halt the process, others have tried... Read More
Canadian-based Endless Sky is looking to become an industrial-scale producer of hemp flower and hemp CBD extracts, controlling the process from seed to shelf, ultimately providing "natural health products free of solvents, pesticides or heavy metals." "We started in 2018. We initially were in indoor growing, cultivating cannabis," says CEO Travis George, adding that the... Read More
Spring, summer, or fall — when do you think is the best time to test for clubroot? Visual symptoms on the plant show up later in the season, yes, but that's not when soil spore load is highest, explains Kim Kenward of 20/20 Seed Labs, in this episode of the Canola School. "Soil testing is... Read More
It's been 21 years since the hemp industry started in earnest in Canada, and within the last year, there has been a significant shift in research institutions taking a larger interest in the crop. Which is good, because the agronomic knowledge base for this multi-use crop is still quite limited. Jeff Kostiuk, with Hemp Genetics... Read More
While pulse market challenges haven't been grabbing headlines as much lately, there are longer standing issues with chickpea, pea, and lentil movement than say, canola's recent run-in with China. Murad Al-Katib, CEO of AGT Foods, says that there are reasons to be optimistic on pulse markets heading in to 2020, even in the face of... Read More
Something weird is happening to our Exploding Spray Myths team. Every time Jason Deveau and Tom Wolf get close to a sensitive downwind area, or drive fast to make up for lost time, their sprayer shuts down. It's almost as if the sprayer is enforcing best management practices! Little do they know... On this all-new... Read More