If you've noticed more than a few fleabane "escapes" in recent years, you're not alone. Glyphosate resistant Canada fleabane has spread across more than 700 kilometers of Ontario crop land in just five years. Despite its incredible distribution, Canada fleabane wasn't the first glyphosate resistant weed found in Ontario, says Dr. Peter Sikkema, field crop... Read More
Category: Western Canada
An Austrian-made combine header with an adjustable cutterbar for reducing shatter losses at harvest was recognized in the Innovation Showcase at Canada’s Farm Progress Show last month. The Biso Ultralight 800, with its lightweight aluminum design and movable floor, received a Sterling Award at the show in Regina. The 800mm (~32 inch) variable cutterbar is... Read More
Canadian honeybee overwintering numbers are in for the 2014/15 season, and the results show a strong start to the 2015 year. Representing over 360,000 honey colonies (over half of all colonies in the country), the Canadian Association of Professional Apiculturists (CAPA) says that its survey of 443 beekeepers pegs the Canadian average of overwintering loss... Read More
Grain markets this week were about 2-3% lower on the front-month contracts as weather/growing conditions have improved, slowing down the running of the grain bulls (especially since there aren’t any demand headlines for them to chase after). And it's no wonder the bulls need a breather. Between abundant rains in the Midwest, dry weather in... Read More
A farmer from Niverville, Manitoba, has designed a product that can give older seeding equipment some of the seed placement precision of newer seeding technology. John Gehrer, who together with his wife Angelika also designed and sell the “Never Spill Spout” bin alarm, is now making what he calls the “Orange Shank.” It was one... Read More
What makes a fair marketplace? Whether you are here on the farm or catching a city cab, marketplace dynamics are a hot topic these days. Taxi drivers in Toronto are at their wits end as the popular ride-sharing site UberX is sucking up business. Unlike two taxi companies competing for business, UberX and cab companies... Read More
It's crop tour season in most areas, and as part of this week's update, Bruce Burnett of CWB joins Kelvin Heppner to recap his tour looking at crop conditions across the Canadian prairies. The ag ministers' meeting in PEI, a new canola crush plant at Camrose and fusarium issues in wheat are also highlighted in... Read More
What does every farmer want out of a crop? Yield and profitability. From variety selection, to fertilizer rates, and crop protection products, farmers are always looking for new ways to stack the deck in their favour. Of course, the best laid plans can be thwarted by a cold, wet spring, or dry weather and drought.... Read More
To its peril, Canada’s agri-food industry – and indeed, all of Canada — has chugged along for more than a century without a comprehensive agri-food strategy. You’d think whoever is running Ottawa would have made it a priority, given we are active internationally exporting food and so dependent on imports. Consider the consequences if the... Read More
Whether it's growing demand for protein or pressure to reduce carbon footprints in the food chain, pulses appear well-positioned to benefit from global food trends. As the largest pea and lentil exporter in the world, Western Canada stands to become the "protein basket of the world," says Murad Al Katib, president and CEO of Regina-based... Read More