Things are looking up for the barley market. That's the message from the SaskBarley annual general meeting held recently during CropSphere at Saskatoon, Sask. "I think the industry has never been stronger. We're seeing huge exports on the feed side going into China, we're strengthening in the malt side, both domestically and globally, and we've... Read More
Category: Research
The flax industry has had some tough years. Still recovering acres from the Triffid issue from a few years ago, this past year's drought in the southern half of the Prairies also limited production. SaskFlax, however, has continued to move forward and plan for success. After the annual general meeting at CropSphere recently, Wayne Thompson,... Read More
Crop research in Saskatchewan will see a sizeable funding boost from the federal and provincial governments for 44 crop-related research projects through Saskatchewan’s Agriculture Development Fund (ADF) and the Strategic Research Initiative (SRI). Federal Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Lawrence MacAulay and Saskatchewan Agriculture Minister David Marit announced the more than $12 million in funding... Read More
Mapping the wheat genome has been a major goal of scientists for decades. Getting it sequenced was a major accomplishment, but it wasn't the end of the journey – it was, in reality, only opening the door so the journey could begin. Curtis Pozniak, professor at the University of Saskatchewan and plant breeder with the... Read More
Farmers need seed to grow crops. It's just that simple. This is why public institutions have played such an important role in plant breeding over the years. But, just as new varieties are needed when environmental conditions change, new funding models for plant breeders are needed when economic conditions change. Kofi Agblor knows all to... Read More
The way farmers support new variety development of most open-pollinated and trait-free crops is set to change. Currently, the federal government is hosting consultation meetings across Canada to garner feedback from farmers, plant breeders, seed companies, and industry on two proposed systems: end point royalty or trailing royalty contracts. The impending change has been a... Read More
Plants communicate. So much so, that they actually sense weed competition and reduce yield potential even before they emerge from the ground. It may sound like science fiction, but it's just one of the many scientific facts that University of Guelph weed scientist Dr. Clarence Swanton has helped prove during his 35-year career. Over the... Read More
In any industry, you can go backwards by merely standing still. In research, even something as traditional as wheat research, the same is true. You have to keep moving forward or other players will pass you and your innovations will be obsolete before they even get out of the laboratory. Luckily for Canadian farmers, there... Read More
Regulations are often disliked by by both producers and consumers. Producers think there is too much red tape and consumers think regulators are too accommodating to business. But when the regulatory system works – when it trusted and predictable – everyone benefits. The recent Canola Discovery Forum at Banff, Alta., brought together a host of... Read More
It’s not often a company opens the doors to its multi-million dollar seed research centre, so when you get the chance for a tour, you take it. Last month, Syngenta held its media summit which wrapped up by taking both Canadian and American agricultural journalists on a trip to Stanton, Minnesota, to check out their... Read More