Newspapers of late seem to be drenched with neonicotinoids, often blaming the now well-known active ingredient for declining bee populations. Related: Canola School – Bees & Beneficials – Defining Terms, Protecting Habitat and Recognizing Benefits Here in Canada, between 2013 and 2014, the beekeeping industry actually experienced some impressive growth, with increases in beekeepers, colonies,... Read More
Category: Video
Tough conditions last fall resulted in fewer acres of wheat being planted than planned in Ontario. Some of those fields could end up defaulting back to soybeans for 2015. In this Soybean School episode, Dave Hooker, field crop agronomist and assistant professor at the University of Guelph-Ridgetown, and Bernard Tobin discuss the implications of back-to-back... Read More
After three decades of fairly stagnant yields in Saskatchewan and Manitoba, a renewed focus on agronomic practices with flax could unlock higher yields, says a former flax breeder who now works as a research consultant for the Flax Council of Canada. “I think that flax has been undermanaged to some degree, even with fertility,” says... Read More
Rotation is generally a critical part of mitigating any disease resistance problem. When it comes to preventing the breakdown of resistance in blackleg-resistant canola varieties, the first line of defence is an extended crop rotation with non-host crops. Beyond that, growers can also rotate the canola varieties they're growing, suggests Anastasia Kubinec, oilseed specialist with... Read More
Chris Koch is one of those people who longboards into your life and tells you absolutely anything is possible. He was one of the many speakers featured at this year’s Alberta Beef Industry Conference in Red Deer, where he took the audience through a roller coaster of emotions. Born without arms and legs, Koch has... Read More
We’ve all seen it. The gentle rancher who turns Hyde in the face of cattle handling. Sticks or prods come out, and everyone prepares for the yelling that will follow. But what if that rancher could just be his or her gentle self even when working cattle? This past winter, I’ve had the pleasure of... Read More
The room was abuzz with the energy of high cattle prices, an informative day of sessions, and the opportunity to dress up for a night of entertainment. There was a white tablecloth, food heaped onto my plate, the offer of an array of drinks a short stroll away, and a group of quasi-strangers set to... Read More
The value of a load of canola delivered to an elevator can vary by a few hundred dollars depending on the sieve used by the elevator to determine dockage. According to the Official Grain Grading Guide, an elevator can choose between five different slotted sieves, with slots ranging in size from 0.028 to 0.040 of... Read More
"When the land is dry, it's no longer about planning, it's about execution — it's our Super Bowl." That's a quote from Pride Seeds' Ken Currah, who caught up with Bernard Tobin for the above Corn School. Currah and Tobin, sheltered from the rain, discussed the importance of preparing for seeding, and having a... Read More
Tucked into the federal rail legislation implemented last year was a requirement that’s supposed to hold grain buyers accountable for delivery dates in contracts with farmers. As of August 1, 2014, licensed grain companies in Western Canada that don’t accept grain during the timeframe defined in a contract are required to pay some sort of... Read More