There's no shortage of less than stellar wheat out there — the weather near the end of summer and early fall was not kind to harvest or the resulting grain (remember all that snow in September, Alberta?). While some quality parameters aren't deal breakers and might be managed through bumping seeding rates, others can't be... Read More
Category: Crop Production
The Grain Farmers of Ontario has submitted to the government its 10-point, four-year "pollinator health blueprint," which includes a focus on increasing pollinator habitat, increasing grower education and decreasing neonicotinoid use. The Blueprint identifies five key areas to "enhance the health" of pollinators in Ontario: Habitat and nutrition; Pesticide exposure; Diseases and parasites; Communication between... Read More
Soybeans have cleared another hurdle in the crop's quest for more acres in Western Canada as Alberta's Agriculture Financial Services Corporation has decided to start offering crop insurance coverage for soybeans this year. Both dryland and irrigated soybeans will be insurable in certain areas under an AFSC program called the "New Crops Insurance Initiative." "The... Read More
The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs has announced details regarding two programs through the $75 million Wine and Grape Strategy. The Wine and Grape Strategy is a five year funding and program commitment originally announced in 2013, and that begins in 2015/16. According to the province, the two programs are: The new... Read More
Strong new crop prices for flax are expected to drive acres higher again in 2015. “The economics of flax currently make a lot of sense. There are a number of new crop bids in the $12.50 (per bushel) range. Compared to other crops that’s quite profitable, and compared to history that’s quite profitable, so I... Read More
Sunflowers may rival flax for the honour of “prettiest crop,” but this brightly flowered food and oilseed crop has another rather dubious distinction — disease magnet. From the very ominous sounding phoma black stem, to the insidious sclerotinia, Real Agriculture caught up with Sam Markell, extension plant pathologist with North Dakota State University to talk... Read More
The wheat market is due for some additional volatility in the weeks leading up to seeding season in North America, says the general manager of FarmLink Marketing Solutions. Sharing the wheat market outlook at Grainworld '15 in Winnipeg last week, Lawrence Yakielashek (formerly with Toepfer Canada) said he believes the bearish sentiment in the wheat... Read More
What's the difference between non-performance of a herbicide application and weeds being resistant to the herbicide application? While less-than-stellar control can happen for a number of reasons, it's usually marked by sprayer-associated-patterns in a field. Herbicide resistance, however, can be much more subtle but far more serious in the long run. Herbicide resistant weeds are... Read More
Testing for clubroot falls into an interesting classification — it's a disease, yes, but it's in soil. Do you send samples to a soil lab or a seed lab? In this edition of Under the Microscope, Holly Gelech, business development manager with Biovision Seed Labs, walks us through how labs test for clubroot and while... Read More
Grain prices ended the month of February a little mixed as corn, soybean, and canola prices all got support in the last half of the month through harvest and logistical concerns out of South American. Lower oil prices have helped keep gains in check for those crops related to the biofuels industry, although strong domestic... Read More