Bill Strautman

ASSINIBOIA, Sask. – Dwayne Woolhouse originally cut weeds on his organic farm with a swather. “We tried it both ways,” the Assinboia farmer said. “If we had the canvases on, we ended up with a row down the field that would kill the crop out. With the canvases off, (the weeds) piled on the table […] Read more

OUTLOOK, Sask. – The future is looking sunny for sunflowers in Saskatchewan, says a Saskatoon-based Agriculture Canada researcher who co-ordinates sunflower variety testing in the province. “Up to 1983, all the testing for sunflower variety registration was done by the Manitoba Sunflower Committee,” Cliff Powlowski said during a recent tour at the Irrigation Crop Diversification […] Read more

OUTLOOK, Sask. – At the Irrigation Crop Diversification Corp. centre’s recent tour in Outlook, Jim Thorson told attendees that sunflowers are either first or second when it comes to money-making crops on his farm. “Sunflowers have been an interesting crop on our farm,” said Thorson, who is chair of the Saskatchewan Sunflower Committee. “I’ve had […] Read more

OUTLOOK, Sask. – An irrigation agrologist predicts a decent silage corn crop for Saskatchewan this year. Les Bohrson of the Irrigation Crop Diversification Centre told farmers at a recent field day that he based his prediction on when corn crops dropped their pollen, which he called a critical measurement in Saskatchewan. “Everything you do to […] Read more

OUTLOOK, Sask. – Two irrigation agrologists from the United States were on the prowl for new ideas at the recent irrigated grain and silage corn tour at the Irrigation Diversification Centre in Outlook. Chet Hill, an extension specialist from the Williston Research Extension Centre in North Dakota, and Jed Waddell, a soil scientist from the […] Read more

OUTLOOK, Sask. – At the recent Irrigation Crop Diversification Centre corn tour in Outlook, seed company representatives confirmed that new, early maturing corn varieties are here with more in the pipeline. Murray Nelson, a sales agronomist with Keg Agro in Outlook, said Pioneer is interested in the western Canadian corn market. “They’ve opened up a […] Read more

Like many Saskatchewan farmers, Dale Richter was hit with a killing frost last year before summer was over. “It was a total disaster,” said Richter, who farms near Broadview. “There was nothing in the flax to harvest at all. The bolls were just starting to form and there was still the odd flower coming. When […] Read more

With dandelions becoming an ever increasing weed problem, especially in direct seeding systems, a recently completed four-year study on the effectiveness of various fall herbicide applications has discovered that earlier is better. Led by Ken Sapsford and Rick Holm of the University of Saskatchewan and Eric Johnson of Agriculture Canada in Scott, Sask., the study […] Read more

Producers who had lots of rain this summer will want to pay attention to their soil’s chloride levels when planting cereals next year, advises Brandon Green, an agronomist with Enviro-Test Labs in Calgary. He said while nitrogen, phosphorus, sulphur, potassium and micronutrients receive a great deal of attention, producers don’t hear or read much about […] Read more

Field pea producers in Western Canada must meet stringent quality levels to ensure their product is fit for human consumption. Bleaching is the most common quality problem with green peas while in yellow peas it is the presence of green. To manage these issues, farmers can choose to apply either Reglone as a desiccant or […] Read more