An American researcher believes downy brome does more than out-compete other plants in the pasture. Bob Blank said the invasive weed also changes the soil. “We actually believe that it sees the soil differently than some of our natives. It can actually access nutrients that some natives can’t (through) a myriad of processes,” said Blank, […] Read more
Stories by Dan Yates
Tight supplies maintain oat price
Cash price steady | With little crop moving to the U.S., buyers are willing to pay a premium
Heavy demand for rail cars is supporting Canadian prices on oats moving south, say officials. “I’ve been surprised how well oats has held,” said Art Enns, president of the Prairie Oat Growers Association. Southern Manitoba producers are seeing prices of $3.40 to $3.50 a bushel. Oats have historically averaged 60 percent of the value of […] Read moreHog sector needs Chinese markets: processor
The future of Canadian hogs lies in China, says a major processor. Olymel president Rejean Nadeau told a Saskatchewan pork industry symposium last week that the market’s potential is the source for optimism in an often beleaguered industry. “The markets have to be opened up,” said Nadeau. “The domestic market cannot absorb Canadian pork production, […] Read more
Exports inconsistent despite demand
Canadian oat exports to Mexico are small and inconsistent. However, Prairie Oat Growers Association president Art Enns says the human food market has potential for Canadian growers. Most oat exports go to the United States, but the 32,000 tonnes that were shipped to Mexico last year was good enough to make it Canada’s second biggest […] Read more
Antimicrobial resistance not to be feared: expert
Consumers are receiving confusing, over-simplified information about antimicrobial resistance in veterinary and human medicine, says an independent consultant. “For the vast majority of people, their exposure to agriculture comes through the food that they eat,” Leigh Rosengren of Midale, Sask., told a Saskatchewan pork industry event in Saskatoon last week. “So while the concern is […] Read more
Farmers applying too much potash: researcher
Faulty soil tests blamed | Study found that inconsistent results were prompting producers to over-apply the nutrient
University of Illinois researchers are questioning farmers’ reliance on soil tests and the use of potash fertilizer. Unreliable potassium soil tests mean growers are fertilizing when they don’t have to, say the researchers, who published their paper, The Potassium Paradox, in the journal Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems last month. They took biweekly soil samples […] Read more
3D printing may help farmers
Make your own parts | New technology could help growers design small pieces, says inventor
The Saskatchewan inventor who caused an online firestorm with his redesigned 3D printer says the technology could have huge implications for farmers. “I wouldn’t say you could fix everything on your farm with one now, but it’s going to be a technology similar to the lathe,” Rylan Grayston said about the machines, which enable users […] Read moreBarn conversion model looks at costs, benefits
Pilot project | Two producers will convert their barns to group sow housing to determine the most cost effective design
Converting hog barns to allow for group sow housing won’t be simple or cheap. However, the University of Manitoba and Saskatoon’s Prairie Swine Centre hope to make the process easier for producers. As part of a joint initiative that started this fall, officials are working with two large but undisclosed hog producers in Saskatchewan and […] Read moreReport adds to MRSA-livestock link, but more research needed
Exposure to pig manure Study links human infections with livestock, but researchers have not identified strains
A new study adds to growing concern about methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus infections associated with livestock operations. A recently published paper links people living near pig farms or fields fertilized with pig manure with higher rates of the infection. “I think there’s a major concern that some of these infections are becoming harder to treat and […] Read more
PAMI develops manure recipes to make energy
Trials successful Researchers show how various solid organic materials can produce heat or electricity from biogas
Researchers in Saskatchewan are making energy out of a few tonnes of culled potatoes and manure. It’s the latest ‘recipe’ officials with the Prairie Agriculture Machinery Institute are testing inside the organization’s solid state anaerobic digester. At a pilot-scale facility at PAMI’s Termuende Research Ranch near Lanigan, Sask., Joy Agnew is documenting how various organic […] Read more
