The western prairies have been described as a sea of canola. Floating somewhere adrift are crops like flax. Crops that are full of potential, but are at risk of falling to more profitable crops like canola and soybeans. Keeping these fringe crops afloat to develop some of that potential means finding better cropping systems. One... Read More
Category: Crop Production
A successful no-till system starts or stops at the combine. This according to Phil Needham of Needham Ag Technologies. As Phil explains, it's the even spreading of the residue out of the combine that will allow for uniform depth at seeding and uniform emergence as well as other benefits to your crop. SEE MORE WHEAT... Read More
There is pressure building in the halls of Washington to rescind the mandatory ethanol mandates. With tightening supplies of corn creating higher feed prices for livestock producers and higher food costs for consumers, the pressure mounting in Washington is real. To this point though, according to Kevin Grier of the George Morris Center, nothing has... Read More
Do you remember the story of the little red hen? No one would help her plant the seeds, harvest the grain, grind the grain and bake the bread, but everyone was willing to eat the bread when it was all said and done. That's a little bit like the story of certified seed. Everyone wants... Read More
As readers have been talking about on RealAgriculture.com, the early canola yields are below expectations. One of the reasons for the lower yields that hasn't been mentioned is the role that wind has played in some areas. Below is a picture that seems to sum up how frustrating harvest can be sometimes. Pretty hard to... Read More
A young Saskatoon company has received a Canadian registration for Mustgrow Crop Bio-fumigant, a new bio-fungicide made from Canadian mustard seed. While the pesticidal properties of mustard have been known for decades, its use as a commercial pesticide has been limited due to the low and variable concentration of active ingredient in mustard seeds and... Read More
If there is a pattern developing in the 2012 harvest across Western Canada it would have to be the disappointing canola yields. Farmers have taken to Twitter to display there disappointment in the yields. One of the common threads has been, "I have 50 bushel swaths and 25 bushel yields." With over twenty million acres... Read More
In the last episode of the Wheat School, we spoke with wheat specialist Peter Johnson about some of the problems producers can face when they plant winter wheat early. This time around, Pete offers some advice on how to give that wheat the best possible chance at the point of planting. SEE MORE WHEAT SCHOOL.... Read More
While Saskatchewan and Alberta are just now enjoying the first few weeks of harvest, Manitoba farmers are nearly done with cereals and canola and have a few weeks to wait before soybeans and corn are ready. The early harvest has many farmers excited to get winter wheat back in rotation, and more than a few... Read More
Am I the only one left scratching my head over the newly minted CWB offering canola pools? Voluntary pooling is all good, if that's what you're in to, but I thought a very recent survey asking farmers if they'd be interested in a canola pool went over like a lead balloon. Apparently not, according to... Read More