Do you plan on taking a nitrate-nitrogen soil samples this spring, before planting? The test for nitrate-nitrogen levels can provide key information in how much fertilizer should be applied for a growing corn crop. And, making that decision gets easier and easier. The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) has a handy... Read More
Category: Crop Production
It's a disease that affects a number of significant crops in Canada, including vegetables, pulses, canola and even some forage species. And last year, some farmers saw particularly high levels of white mould in soybean crops across Ontario. Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, or white mold, makes its mark on plants in lesions that appear water-soaked; white, fluffy... Read More
Change happens fast in agriculture. Just a century ago, Canadian farmers were behind a horse and plow. Today, we talk about cab comfort, the potential for unmanned aerial vehicle spraying, smart phone apps and biotechnology. The seed industry is no different. The process of collecting and testing a sample of seed is continually evolving as... Read More
Wheat production in the United Kingdom hovers just below 200, 000 hectares (about a half a million acres). It's used for export markets, human consumption, and plays a key role in animal rations. Thanks in large part to the UK's temperate climate, yields of 120bu/ac are not uncommon. And, as you'll find in the following... Read More
While wheat breeders have traditionally focused on improving agronomic and milling characteristics of the crop, there's value to be gained by the wheat industry in focusing on nutrition as well, says a cereal research scientist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. The nutritional characteristics of wheat have generally remained unchanged while yield potential, disease resistance and... Read More
If Ottawa squandered $870,000 on some meaningless or questionable initiative, media and other critics would climb down politicians’ throats. But when it decides to do something good for farmers, for the nation and even for the world with that amount of money – such as Tuesday’s funding announcement for research into what are called “pulse”... Read More
More than $10 million in government and producer funding for crop-related research was announced during the CropSphere meetings in Saskatoon on Tuesday. After announcing $3.3 million for Pulse Canada's marketing efforts, Federal Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz joined Saskatchewan Ag Minister Lyle Stewart to pledge almost $6.9 million for 42 crop research projects through the Saskatchewan... Read More
The Pulse Promoter of the Year is an award given annually to celebrate the contributions of an individual in Canada’s pulse industry. On Monday, at Saskatoon’s CropSphere, the Saskatchewan Pulse Growers (SPG) and BASF Canada announced Ed Seidle as the 2014 recipient. “With more than 60 years of successful pedigreed seed production and 25 years... Read More
It's too early to say how big a problem verticillium wilt could become for the Canadian canola industry, but it should be on the radar for growers, says the crop pathologist taking the lead on the new disease issue within Manitoba Agriculture. As reported by Real Ag last week, the first known case of Verticillium... Read More
There could soon be new demand for the oilseed crop camelina as a feed ingredient for poultry. Camelina seed company Smart Earth Seeds is welcoming the Canadian Food Inspection Agency's approval of feeding cold-pressed non-solvent extracted camelina meal to broiler chickens at up to 12 percent inclusion. "This is a major step forward for camelina... Read More