As commodity prices continue to rise, efficiency at harvest becomes increasingly important. Producers want to minimize loss in every area possible. Harvest is one area farmers can take control of when it comes to increasing efficiency. Depending on how the combine is adjusted and the crop type, some farmers can lose up to 5 bushels... Read More
Category: Western Canada
The Canadian wheat industry is changing, especially in the west. The elimination of the single desk is the key factor driving that change. Across the country, everyone involved in the industry is evaluating and strategizing in an effort to determine how this will affect their business and what they have to do to successfully adjust... Read More
Wheat is an important crop globally. From a food production standpoint, with regards to rotation on the farm and from an economic standpoint, wheat is "key" crop worldwide. The biotech industry has taken notice of this, and a great deal of new interest has been invested into wheat. Companies like Syngenta have expanded their efforts... Read More
Anyone who grows malt barley knows the number of specifications it has to meet in order to be acceptable. There are some years where those specifications can prove very frustrating to growers. When that barley doesn't meet specifications, one of the areas that gets the blame is variety, the grain company or the CWB. After... Read More
Canola harvest is still a few months away, but it's still a good time to get familiar with your combine. Last weeks "Picking up Profits" combine clinic put on by the Canola Council of Canada brought industry experts as well as a number of different combine manufacturers together in an effort to help producers limit... Read More
Lygus bugs are a pest that are not particularly picky when it comes to what they feed on. The bug has over 300 known host plants, and feeds on the sap of a plants new growth and reproductive tissue. Unfortunately, among the long list of plants they like to feed on is the canola plant.... Read More
By Ken Coles, FarmingSmarter.com In July I attended the Precision Ag Conference in Springfield, Illinois. I though in my first blog post I would cover my thoughts and observations at the conference. Day 1 Last week Brent Nicol and I attended the infoag, precision ag conference in Springfield, Illinois. (www.infoag.org). Not being a seasoned... Read More
In this episode of the Wheat School, we talk to Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada Plant Pathologist Kelly Turkington about the elevated risk of fusarium in parts of Alberta. Fusarium in Alberta is nothing new, however, weather conditions in Alberta in June and July have made the potential for infection that much greater. That abundance of... Read More
When it comes to disease problems in wheat, the conditions have been pretty favourable across most of the prairies. With the exception of the past week or so, temperatures have been below average and moisture has been above average across the west. Those factors elevate the risk of fungal disease, making scouting and control extremely... Read More
The start of the 2011 growing season was challenging to say the least. Wet weather and unseasonably cool conditions in the majority of the west had producers stressed out and wondering if they would get a crop in at all. That was the case in fact in large areas of Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Fast forward... Read More