As little as 2% green seed in a canola sample can cause the loss of a No. 1 grade in Canada, traditionally equating to roughly $10-15/tonne. Immature canola seed naturally contains chlorophyll, a green pigment essential for photosynthesis. As canola seeds mature, enzymes remove the chlorophyll, a process thought to improve seed longevity. The enzymes... Read More
Category: Eastern Canada
Named in June, but celebrated this week in Des Moines, Iowa, Dr. Sanjaya Rajaram of India and Mexico was awarded the World Food Prize for his work in wheat breeding and development. Working hand-in-hand with Nobel Laureate Dr. Norman Borlaug, Rajaram bred an impressive 480 varieties of wheat to provide nutritious grains resistant to rust... Read More
If you had winter wheat aerial-applied or broadcast on in September, you may want to get out there and look at what you've got. Reports of major slug damage are trickling in, with some fields reporting as high as 95% damage to wheat kernels left on the soil surface. As Peter Johnson, provincial cereal specialist... Read More
Had another busy week? Here's some listening material that will get you up-to-speed on farm news from the last seven days. Kelvin Heppner discusses the recent slide (or "correction") in stock markets, the latest on U.S. country of origin labeling, quality problems in pulses, World Food Day and much more. Here's the "This Week on... Read More
A federally funded focus group exercise held across the country last December named farmers as victims of classic stereotypes, and revealed how misconceptions continue to dominate people’s perceptions of agriculture. Notably, the focus group participants said they saw farming as shrinking, stuck in time, environmentally unfriendly and unlikely to be a family business for much... Read More
The federal government has committed $3 million to the Flax Council of Canada for research in flax genetics and agronomics. Winnipeg MP Joyce Bateman announced the investment in Winnipeg this morning. "Creating new flax varieties and improving agronomics will increase producers’ profitability and allow processors and exporters to continue selling a high-quality product around the... Read More
Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz and International Trade Minister Ed Fast were in Ottawa today to announce an expansion to Canadian beef and livestock producer export opportunities. Negotiations in Qatar have resulted in its approval of all beef imports from Canada, a significant step in a market that could reach $2 million annually, according to industry... Read More
World Food Day has been observed annually, every October 16th, since 1981. The aim of the event is to raise awareness of world hunger and poverty and to inspire solutions for world change. Canada has a responsibility to help farmers in developing countries where people don't have enough to eat, according to a survey of... Read More
Agricultural legislators from Canada, the U.S. and Mexico met in Chicago last week for the Tri-National Accord — an annual meeting of provincial, state and national delegates to discuss agricultural trade issues. U.S. country of origin labeling (COOL), the impact of PED virus on North American hog production and challenges with grain logistics were three... Read More
Early care and feeding frequency of dairy calves leaves a lasting impression on your herd. Just how significant feeding frequency is on eventual productivity of your dairy cows may surprise you, however. In this interview filmed at the 2014 World Dairy Expo, Donald Sockett, of the Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, University of Wisconsin-Madison, summarizes a... Read More