More than $10 million in government and producer funding for crop-related research was announced during the CropSphere meetings in Saskatoon on Tuesday. After announcing $3.3 million for Pulse Canada's marketing efforts, Federal Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz joined Saskatchewan Ag Minister Lyle Stewart to pledge almost $6.9 million for 42 crop research projects through the Saskatchewan... Read More
Category: Research
The amount of data we can collect on farms has grown exponentially over the last decade or two. Whether it’s through yield monitors, images captured by satellites or drones, smartphone apps or RFID sensors, our ability to track and record what’s happening has come a long way from the pocketbooks of earlier generations. And there’s... Read More
Research into the role of inputs in field peas has often looked at each individually, with little known on the effects of combining inputs. The Western Applied Research Corporation (WARC) looked to change that with a study that's wrapping up this year. Over the past three years, trials have been conducted at Scott, Melfort, Swift... Read More
Mixing alfalfa and sainfoin for a pasture stand has potential, as research scientists pointed out last week at the Western Canadian Grazing Conference in Edmonton. Sainfoin is a perennial forage legume. It was introduced to North America from Europe and Asia in the late 1800s and has since been used for both grazing and hay.... Read More
The Western Grains Research Foundation (WGRF) is aggressively increasing the amount of money it's investing in field crop research. The board for the producer organization recently passed a budget of over $18 million for 2015 — up from a projected $14.8 million in 2014 and $7.3 million spent in 2013. "WGRF member organizations have encouraged... Read More
Welcome to the first episode of an exciting new four-part series on Real Agriculture — Beyond the Bushel. In this series, we'll take you on an in-depth exploration of the wheat and barley value chain in Western Canada. While wheat is a very familiar crop, and one that grows well over much of the world,... Read More
The idea that GMO-free foods are more "natural" than those with genetically modified ingredients is a misconception, says a plant biologist and advocate for genetic modification from the University of Florida. Speaking at the University of Manitoba last week, Kevin Folta discussed how transgenic (or GM) technology works and misunderstandings about genetically modified organisms. He... Read More
A grand opening for the University of Saskatchewan's new Canadian Feed Research Centre in North Battleford was held on Friday. The $13.9 million facility is home to research looking at developing high-value animal feeds from lower-value crops and co-products coming from the biofuel industry. U of S has refurbished the property after purchasing it from... Read More
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
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