Agriculture Canada

More forage money is made or lost at seeding than any other time of the year. That’s because seeding decisions affect performance for the lifetime of the crop, says Surya Acharya, a forage breeding researcher at Agriculture Canada’s research centre in Lethbridge, Alta. Farmers are often frustrated by their lack of success in establishing forage, […] Read more

Cattle tend to perform up to 20 percent better when they drink clean water, according to a five year study in Alberta. Walter Willms, a range ecologist at Agriculture Canada’s research centre in Lethbridge, Alta., said the findings are encouraging ranchers to improve stock water management. The study was funded by the Waldron Grazing Association […] Read more

New varieties of triticale have made the crop a better feed grain than many people think. Although it has found some use as an annual forage, triticale has not been embraced as a valuable food or feed grain in Canada. This is unfortunate, because spring triticale varieties yield 15 to 20 percent more grain than […] Read more

One of Canada’s prominent environmental lobby groups last week published public opinion surveys suggesting a strong majority of Canadians want farmers to use fewer pesticides. The World Wildlife Fund, which sponsored the survey, also said Canadians want Ottawa to quickly pass new and tougher pesticide legislation to get dangerous chemicals off the market. “All of […] Read more

Maple syrup production is possible on the Prairies. Also known as box elder, the Manitoba maple produces sap that can be boiled down to make an excellent-tasting syrup. Manitoba maples are commonly found along riverbeds, in native woodlots, shelterbelts around farmyards and in towns as ornamental shade trees. They should be at least 20 centimetres […] Read more

Changing cattle rations could enhance the nutritional benefits of beef and tap into a growing consumer desire for food that improves health, says a leading beef researcher. Agriculture Canada Lethbridge Research Centre scientist Zahir Mir spoke at the National Beef Science Seminar, held recently in Lethbridge. People often view food as something that can prevent […] Read more

Applying a pour-on insecticide early in the spring will reduce horn fly numbers by 75 percent, says a livestock entomologist from Agriculture Canada’s research centre in Lethbridge, Alta. Combined with a two-week delay in grazing, it could reduce fly numbers by 95 percent. “These results suggest that integrated approaches for combining range management and insecticide […] Read more

Studies suggest that it makes sense to apply nitrogen fertilizer on grassland and that the best rate over a broad range of climatic and economic conditions is about 100 pounds per acre. Using this rate, there is little chance of potentially toxic nitrate buildup in forage. The yardstick used for the two long-term Agriculture Canada […] Read more

Last year’s ergot outbreak was caused by weather and not because the variety AC Barrie is susceptible to the disease, say Agriculture Canada researchers Myriam Fernandez and Ron DePauw. Ergot is an uncommon cereal disease on the Prairies, but last year it struck with a vengeance, downgrading wheat crops across Western Canada. It’s a fungal […] Read more

Many investment opportunities in Saskatchewan lie in rural areas. But the companies and ideas in the countryside are starved by a lack of start-up and expansion money, say managers of a new Saskatchewan labor-sponsored venture capital fund. The situation creates great opportunities for investors, says Prairie Ventures Fund Inc. president Randy Beattie. “Because there is […] Read more