Seeding rate, seeding date and proper variety selection are the three factors that can most affect flax yields
A little planning can go a long way when it comes to optimizing flax yields. That’s because three factors that can most affect flax yield — namely seeding rate, seeding date and selecting the right variety — can be managed before any seed goes into the ground. “We recognize that flax needs to be more […] Read moreFlax
Ag Notes
FarmLead boosts APAS’s youth leadership program FarmLead has announced a charitable partnership with the Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan’s youth leadership and mentorship program. The online grain marketplace founded by Brennan Turner will donate $25 to the program for every farmer who registers for a free FarmLead account using the APAS referral code. Turner, who […] Read more
Marketing opportunities present themselves
With the generally soft tone in commodity markets, several new crop opportunities are attracting attention, but they may not last long. Canola prices have been grinding lower since mid-November, but if you look at a five-year price graph, canola is still above the mid-range. For fall 2018 delivery, canola prices approaching $11 a bushel can […] Read more
Shipping efficiency key goal
Faster, taller, shorter, longer, fewer and bigger. Those are the attributes of the future western Canadian grain logistics system, transportation system players told the Grain World conference. “The role of our primary elevator system has completely changed and has to focus on shifting velocity,” said Karl Gerrand, the president of G3 Canada. A number of […] Read more
Unhappiness with canola council prompts calls for restructuring
The Canola Council of Canada, one of the largest agricultural industry associations in the country, is under pressure to adjust its priorities and get costs under control. Some are even calling for it to merge with other oilseed organizations. Ag industry leaders have told The Western Producer that oilseed crushers and grain elevator companies have […] Read more
Canadian flax prospects dimmed by China’s silk road
WINNIPEG, Nov. 16 (CNS) – China’s construction of a new “silk road” connecting the country to Europe isn’t likely to be good news for Canadian flax exporters. For several years, Canada has been the main exporter of flax to China but that could likely change if Kazakhstan ever has a direct link to China. “We […] Read more
Crop profitability becomes more elusive
Pulse crop prices have gone to heck in a hand basket. Lentils have been under serious price pressure, and now India has announced its 50 percent tariff on peas, effectively barricading our number one market. At harvest time, the price for red lentils was soft at around 21 cents a pound. Now, the price has […] Read more
Flax oil developers believe art market is game changer
Improvements to flax-based paint could allow company to tap the Canadian and U.S. art market worth more than $100 million
Martin Reaney was faced with a conundrum. He had created a non-bitter flax oil that nobody wanted. It wasn’t until he visited an artist friend that he had his eureka moment for what to do with it. The story begins 15 years ago when Reaney, a University of Saskatchewan plant scientist, decided to find out […] Read moreCircadian rhythm research applies to livestock health
This year’s Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine was awarded to three researchers who studied the internal biological clock that regulates day and night cycles in sync with the Earth’s rotation. Jeffrey C. Hall, Michael Rosbash and Michael W. Young were jointly awarded the prize for their discovery of molecular mechanisms controlling this circadian rhythm. […] Read more
Anti-science revolution could cut grain production
You don’t hear the agriculture boom theory repeated as often anymore. You know, the one where farmers live happily ever after with grain prices that never sink below the cost of production? For most of the last decade, at nearly every gathering of farmers someone would trot out the theory that the future had to […] Read more
