Corn and soybean growers in Ontario know that neonicotinoid-containing seed treatments are under close scrutiny by the public and by the provincial government. When provincial department mandate letters were sent out in September, Ontario premier Kathleen Wynne called for a "meaningful reduction" in neonic use by 2015. As the clock runs down to the end... Read More
Category: Crop Production
Shipping your own railcar can have numerous benefits, not the least of which is selling grain at a higher price than local elevators are willing to offer. At the same time there's also a fair amount of risk in counting on producer cars to market grain — just ask one of the farmers who are... Read More
Want to know what buyers look for in a soybean sample? Or what you don't want to see in your soybeans? This episode of the Soybean School takes us to the Canadian Grain Commission grading lab in Winnipeg. Thanks to Daryl Beswitherick, program manager for quality assurance and re-inspection at the CGC, for taking some... Read More
Farmers still have a bit of time to evaluate their fields for levels of grubs and wireworms, two key pests that will factor in to the need for a neonicotinoid pesticide seed treatment. And that's good news, because the deadline to ordering fungicide-only corn seed is rapidly approaching. Most companies have a mid- to late-November... Read More
The grain and oilseed market started the month of November the opposite of how it ended October, as the market dropped lower on the U.S. harvest catching up to its historical average pace and a stronger U.S. dollar (which can help Canadian exports, hence basis in Western Canada narrowing recently). Lack of consistent rail service... Read More
Saskatchewan's Ministry of Agriculture has released a report outlining the quality profile of this year's crop. Only nine percent of the province's spring wheat crop is projected to be graded number 1 — well below the 10 year average of 39 percent. For winter wheat, only three percent is expected to grade as number 1,... Read More
If you're considering growing barley for the malt market in 2015, the Canadian Malting Barley Technical Centre has just released its list of recommended varieties for the 2015-16 crop year. The list (find it here) is compiled by the CMBTC's members with input from grain companies, maltsters and brewers. CDC Copeland and AC Metcalfe are... Read More
The first thing Jeff Schoenau likes to do when assessing soil is dig. Schoenau is Ministry of Agriculture Strategic Research Chair and professor at the University of Saskatchewan and he believes digging a soil pit can give a good indication of the vertical distribution of nutrients in a given area. But, as tiring as digging... Read More
In 2015, growers can purchase Nexera canola under a Flexibility Agreement. The Flexibility Agreement allows farmers to produce Nexera canola and sell it as either a commodity canola or, potentially garner a delivery contract with a health premium in the Omega-9 Oils market. "The only request we have of the grower, if he's going to... Read More
New standards for storing and applying seed treatments are set to take effect across Canada in 2017. The new audit-based accreditation system was developed by CropLife Canada and its members “to provide uniform environmental, health and safety practices” at facilities where seed treatments are applied. If a business does not go through the accreditation process,... Read More