Bill Strautman

EDMONTON – An organization that studies Canadian agricultural policy says progress in agriculture-based industry could be boosted if regulators could act more quickly to change. Owen McAuley said the difficulty arises in trying to strike a balance among people who want more freedom, those who want to protect the status quo and those who want […] Read more

LETHBRIDGE – Western Canadian farmers must ensure seed and crop protection choices don’t jeopardize canola markets, says a Canola Council of Canada agronomist. “We’re finally going to be to the point in the next year where we can hopefully ship raw seed into the European Union, for the first time in over 10 years, since […] Read more

EDMONTON – Producers shouldn’t hold their breath while waiting for new herbicides. According to a herbicide researcher with Bayer CropScience, the new product pipeline has slimmed down. “In 2003, 14 new herbicides were approved by the (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency) and 23 in the (European Union). It was about the same in 2004. In 2005 […] Read more

SASKATOON – Farmers interested in precision farming are encouraged to approach the subject using hand grenades, shotguns and laser-guided missiles. “One of the problems with precision agriculture is the dots being connected have no business being connected,” said Elston Solberg, a senior consultant with Agri-Trend. “Plants grow from the roots up and that’s where I […] Read more

LETHBRIDGE – Producers who want their crops to recover the most nitrogen possible from liquid hog manure are encouraged to pay attention to application rates and methods of placement. “In the case of liquid swine manure, (applied) at an agronomic nitrogen rate, we see recovery of about 50 percent of added nitrogen in the crop […] Read more

LETHBRIDGE – The concept of applying composted manure to potatoes was introduced in Alberta in the late 1990s. The value perceived was adding organic matter and nutrients to potato fields. “There are additional benefits, as well,” said Ross May, potato agronomist for McCain’s at Coaldale, Alta. “I’ve had some producers say the fields they added […] Read more

LETHBRIDGE – The spread of direct seeding and the corresponding reduction in tillage has resulted in near epidemic outbreaks of foxtail barley in parts of Western Canada. Bob Blackshaw, a weed researcher at Agriculture Canada’s Lethbridge Research Centre, told farmers at the recent Agronomy Update conference in Lethbridge that tillage controls foxtail under conventional cropping […] Read more

Western Producer reporter Bill Strautman previews the Alberta pest situation for the coming crop year. The next instalment will provide a prairie-wide pest outlook and offer tips on prevention. LETHBRIDGE – Grasshopper numbers in Alberta should remain low for 2007, much like they did in 2006, says Scott Meers, a pest risk management specialist with […] Read more

SASKATOON – Since the inception of Canada’s minor-use pesticide program, 90 new pesticide uses have been registered on a range of different crops. On the Prairies, that includes 16 new registrations on 38 different crops. “We have 17 others we’re working on, with five in the submission phase, four in the analytical phase and four […] Read more

SASKATOON – Sulfentrazone, a herbicide with a new mode of action for Western Canada, has been undergoing tests under the minor-use herbicide registration process at Agriculture Canada’s research centre in Scott, Sask. Eric Johnson, an Agriculture Canada researcher at Scott, told farmers at the Pulse Crop Days held as part of crop production week in […] Read more