Karen Morrison

BIGGAR, Sask. – Producers who want to protect their malting barley from high protein levels should plant early in the spring. “The longer you delay seeding, the more risk there is for higher protein,” said Mike Grenier, an agronomist with the Canadian Wheat Board. He said at a field day here July 26 that yields […] Read more

New techniques for screening protein in feed peas can save money, help select varieties and guide breeding programs. Vern Racz, director of the Prairie Feed Resource Centre at the University of Saskatchewan, said the near infrared spectroscopy can be used to evaluate such factors as moisture, crude protein, ash and starch. “This project allows us […] Read more

Adding fababeans to feed peas could greatly increase the protein content of livestock feed, says plant breeder Bert Vandenberg. Vandenberg, with the Crop Development Centre at the University of Saskatchewan, is exploring varieties more suited to eastern Saskatchewan’s wet conditions than other pulse crops. Fababeans have an excellent nitrogen fixing ability and seed protein concentration […] Read more

NORQUAY, Sask. – Driving through the alleys between Greg Hudye’s fields of canola in east-central Saskatchewan, the truck scrapes its side-view mirrors across the tops of yellow flowers. In another field down the road, a doe can be seen only when leaping through the densely lush fields. “If I stood them up, they would be […] Read more

Made in Saskatchewan pinto beans could become the featured entrée on Mexican dinner plates in future years through an export initiative announced in Saskatoon July 21. Under the seven-year agreement, Walker Seeds Ltd. and Keg Agro Ltd. are licensed to produce, process and market slow-darkening pinto beans developed by the University of Saskatchewan’s Crop Development […] Read more

MILLET, Alta. – Six workers are scattered across the wind-swept field, some wielding hoes, others riding small tractors and a few weeding tiny plants with their bare hands. Monica Blaeser said she and other growers spend up to 12 hours a day, six days a week at this 30-acre co-operative organic herb farm south of […] Read more

Topping up fertilizers and managing diseases will be critical for farmers hoping to capitalize on the high yield potential in many crops this year. “For the first time in a long time, we have the kind of crops we have been dreaming about,” said Rob Saik, president and chief executive officer of AgriTrend Agrology in […] Read more

Morris, Man., was closing up the ring dike around the town this week in preparation for a rising Red River swollen from weeks of rainy weather. Denis Vermette raised his farm home in the community after the flood in 1997, but now fears flooding could cut off his access roads. The river is higher than […] Read more

BLAINE LAKE, Sask. – Unearthing an early Doukhobor dwelling raised more than a little dust for Brenda Cheveldayoff. It both divided and linked the religious community whose ancestors came to the Blaine Lake area in 1899 fleeing persecution for their pacifism and communal lifestyles in Russia. “It was not easy. I did go through a […] Read more

Water from excessive rain and swollen rivers is receding across much of the West, leaving behind tracts of irreparably damaged crops. Many other farmers are looking forward to higher yields from this recent wet boost from Mother Nature. “It’s starting to dry out,” said Gary Coghill of Saskatchewan Agriculture, who noted many wet fields are […] Read more