It sure is pretty when it flowers and the health benefits of the seed is hard to match, but growing flax can be a tough slog for farmers. It's not terribly competitive, markets are volatile and the resulting straw is more of a waste product than second income due to limited options in the west.... Read More
Category: Crop Production
Think double cropping soybeans after wheat is an outlandish idea? In reality, there are just as many or more accumulated heat units from July onward as the entire growing season in Western Canada, and that area is expanding acres at an incredible rate. The key to making it work is meticulous variety selection (shorter season,... Read More
The Western Grains Research Foundation is reminding farmers that the federal government annually provides a Scientific Research and Experimental Development (SR&ED) tax credit to producers offering them a tax credit on their check-off investments. The tax credit percentage for producers who contributed to the Wheat and Barley Check-off, administered by the Western Grains Research Foundation... Read More
The Edmonton area of Alberta has the unwanted title of "clubroot hotspot," as this is where the disease first took hold. The incidence map has grown each year since clubroot was confirmed in canola in 2003. Then, not long ago, viable spores were detected in Saskatchewan soils. Last week, the Manitoba government confirmed viable spores... Read More
It's positively refreshing to see a discussion on the plight of threatened grasslands, world hunger and political unrest have a tangible, though only partial, solution. What's more, livestock production has been criticized by environmentalists as too water intensive and hard on delicate ecosystems to be sustainable. A recent presentation, however, is turning this notion on... Read More
I'm not a big markets person. I know, I know, it's agriculture, how could I not be into markets? I have a basic understanding of charts and outlooks, of course, but by my heart is in the soil, plants and animals — the futures market is rather Greek to me. Still, it's difficult to attend... Read More
As of Monday, March 4, 2013, the Canadian Canola Growers Association (CCGA) is accepting cash advance applications for the 2013-14 Advanced Payments Program (APP). “This is the third year that we have accepted applications ahead of the April 1st program start date,” says Rick White, General Manager of CCGA. “By doing so, we provide farmers... Read More
Fertilizer management, and especially nitrogen management, can be a bit of an art form when it comes to corn planting. Not only is it sometimes difficult to get all the N down at planting, but using split applications of nitrogen can also just be good risk management. Going in later in the growing season means... Read More
The most important pass a farmer makes every year is the one with the seeder. There's no way to add yield or plants if you make a big mistake on that first pass — no amount of fungicide, herbicide or specialty product is going to come to the rescue. But seeding conditions in Western Canada... Read More
It was only a matter of time before clubroot infection or viable clubroot spores were found in Manitoba soil, still it's not welcome news. Manitoba's provincial ag department released this press release today, underscoring the importance of spread prevention (Click here for a Canola School on the topic): Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives... Read More