Do you have that very famous lyric in the Don McLean song "American Pie," running in your head? You should. Organic farming — as we know it — could be over. No, I am not an organic farmer, but if I was, I would be very concerned about a new pricing concept being pushed by... Read More
Category: Western Canada
In this episode of the Corn School, Bernard Tobin and OMAF Corn Lead Greg Stewart turn to a chalkboard to draw up some nitrogen strategies for the 2014 corn crop. Throughout the winter meeting season, Stewart touted a split application approach to nitrogen. He recommends growers put down 100 lb of nitrogen pre-plant and then... Read More
To mark Antibiotic Awareness Week, The Lancet published an editorial last November entitled Antibiotic resistance—the need for global solutions. In it, the twenty-six contributors addressed the need to move on from "blame and shame" and collaborate on the growing issue of antimicrobial resistance. RealAgriculture published an article shortly thereafter to summarize the points made in... Read More
There's nothing quite like demo plots — where else will you find head to head comparisons of one variety or practice compared against its neighbour? The trouble with plots, though, is that you only usually see them once and then have to wait for data months later to find out what the real difference was... Read More
As the snow retreats (quickly now, get on with you), it's time to get out there and take a good look at the winter wheat stand. There is such thing as doing a winterkill evaluation too early, but, depending on the method you use, you could need up to two weeks to get a good... Read More
A pre-seed burn down is often the first pass on a field. Some may overlook the importance of getting a strong burn-down, but in reality it can be a huge detriment if some components get overlooked. And if you're going to do a job, you should do it well. Why does a pre-seed burn-down matter?... Read More
It's been another busy week on the site. In news, we saw: the worrying PEDv update from the Manitoba Chief Veterinary Officer, an announcement of another new elevator for CWB and the Western Livestock Price Insurance Program is now accepting applications. On perhaps a more introspective level, Andrew Campbell challenged our ideas of animals and... Read More
An abrupt farewell to the jig-inspiring music and the busy clinks and clangs of dishes filled the silence. The webcast streaming from the Winnipeg Chamber of Congress began and Claude Mongeau was set to hit the stage. Mongeau's stance on logistics was likely already understood by all in attendance, given his role as CN's president... Read More
If you cannot see the embedded player, click here. The second week of April brought the USDA’s monthly instalment of the world agricultural supply and demand estimates and the numbers were: relatively bearish wheat, bullish soybeans, and bullish corn. Oats year-end inventories were dropped by 10 million bushels to a new record low of 20... Read More
The Manitoba Office of the Chief Veterinary Officer (CVO) has confirmed a small number of animals being held at a high-traffic site in western Manitoba tested positive for the porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED) virus. Based on the onset of symptoms and the CVO's preliminary investigation, a provincial government release says, it is likely the pigs... Read More