SeCan recently discovered that the majority of the soft white wheat varieties grown in western Canada naturally contain the Sm1 trait for midge tolerance. The trait has likely always been there, but only recently have we had the technology to test for it. The Sm1 gene was first identified as naturally occurring in soft red... Read More
Category: Western Canada
Saskatchewan's new provincial budget will cost farmers an average of $2 per acre, according to calculations by the Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan (APAS). While there's been a fair bit of discussion about the province reducing exemptions on farm fuel and the impact that will have, there hasn't been as much talk about how the... Read More
AgriClear, a North America-wide online transaction and payment platform for cattle buyers and sellers, has announced a collaborative marketing agreement with Verified Beef Production Plus (VBP+). Verified Beef Production Plus (VBP+) is a national program providing verification of Canadian beef production practices at the farm, ranch, and feedlot. Delivered nationally under the umbrella of the... Read More
Thirty-five vegetable growers in Manitoba are facing uncertainty after Canadian Prairie Garden Puree Products (CPGPP) entered receivership in late March. Court documents show the company owes over $9 million in debts, including over $1.5 million to the federal Agriculture Innovation Program and nearly $150,000 to the Food Development Centre at Portage la Prairie, Man. Earlier... Read More
Concerns that India would no longer accept Canadian peas and lentils due to changes to fumigation requirements on incoming shipments were overblown, says the president of LeftField Commodity Research. India issued a three month extension last week, allowing sales to Canada's largest pulse export market to continue. "In the end it turns out there was... Read More
We've hit April, and that means it's time for the first of many #plant17 reports! This week, we've got super early wheat going in in Alberta, believe it or not, so that's where we start with this edition of Wheat Pete's Word. For Ontario growers, host Peter Johnson kicks off with a rust warning and... Read More
If the word "biological" or "bio-stimulant" makes you think of fairy dust and unicorn hair, you're not alone, but these once-mysterious and poorly-understood products are proving their worth in broadacre, commercial agriculture. For example, large, science-based companies such as Monsanto and Alltech have joined in to the business of biological field crop products that reach... Read More
This column is long overdue. It should have been written shortly after Trudeau announced plans for a mandatory national price on carbon emissions during harvest in early October. Or even earlier, when some provincial governments started announcing their carbon tax or cap and trade programs. For all the time that's passed and words that have... Read More
The Manitoba Agricultural Hall of Fame will be announcing two inductees for 2017 at the Hall's annual general meeting in Brandon on Wednesday. The 2017 inductees are veterinarian Dr. Everett More of Virden and dairy farmer Neil Van Ryssel of Oakbank. The 2017 induction ceremony will be held in Winnipeg on June 19. The event... Read More
Aphanomyces is a soil-borne water mold thatcauses devastating root rots in pulses, especially pea and lentil crops. Unfortunately for farmers, the aphanomyces spores can live in the soil for 10 years, and thrive under wet conditions. That means, not only has this root rot advanced rapidly across many areas of Saskatchewan and Alberta, but it's... Read More