As we entered the month of March, grain markets ate up a lot of volatility on U.S. ethanol policy rumours, a stronger U.S. Dollar, and logistics issues in Brazil. Soyoil and canola were the big winners of the week, gaining 5.4% and 3.5% respectively, while corn fared pretty well too, up 2.7% since last Friday’s... Read More
Category: Western Canada
Growing farmer interest in planting canola with a planter rather than seeding it with a traditional air drill was evident at Ag Days 2017 in Brandon. The expansion of soybean and corn acres in Western Canada and the Northern Plains is a primary driver, making it easier for canola growers to justify purchasing a planter,... Read More
Taking a break from peas or lentils for six years is a tall order for fields where aphanomyces has been a problem. Are there in-field options or tools for managing this relatively new disease? Syama Chatterton, pulse crops pathologist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in Lethbridge, has been conducting field trials across the prairies over... Read More
$1.2 million in federal funding to protect species at risk on farm land was announced in Manitoba on Thursday. $750,000 will be going to Manitoba Beef Producers for a voluntary, incentive-based habitat enhancement program. Working with beef producers in southwest part of the province, MBP and the Manitoba Heritage Habitat Corporation (MHHC) will work with... Read More
Oxford dictionary defines "post-truth" as "relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief." We're seeing this term thrown around by the media in the context of recent politics, but these "post-truth" conditions are really nothing new for agriculture. "This has... Read More
John Deere 4-Series sprayers created a huge buzz last month at the 2017 National Farm Machinery Show in Louisville, Kentucky. Much of the noise centered around Deere’s new carbon fibre spray booms, which debuted at the show. But farmers and ag service providers also found another news story in the cab of the John Deere... Read More
Malt barley has become a specialty crop over the years, grown by farmers who specialize in consistently 'making malt'. Scott Keller of New Norway, Alta., and Wade McAllister of Innisfail, Alta. are two of those farmers. After participating in a malt barley panel discussion at FarmTech '17, they dropped by to discuss their not-so-secret formula... Read More
Western Canadian farmers are being asked to participate in a survey analyzing the adoption of precision agriculture tools, as well as the barriers to adoption and innovation, on the prairies. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada has commissioned Lethbridge-area precision agronomist Dale Steele to lead the study. As he explains in the video below, the results will... Read More
To the surprise of possibly few, Peter Johnson has officially been named a nut — a ground nut specialist, in fact. As of right now, Johnson is on his way home from a mission to Zambia, where he was named peanut specialist for the two weeks. What did he learn? If wheat is all about... Read More
The Canadian Grain Commission formally launched consultations today on a proposed reduction to its user fees. The CGC is also seeking input on potential uses of its $107 million surplus. The proposal and discussion period come less than three weeks after new commissioners took the reins of the federal department that regulates the grain industry.... Read More