Prairie flax farmers are hoping to use an old herbicide from the United States this year but one researcher says that is unlikely. The group 14 herbicide was approved in 2008 for chickpeas in Saskatchewan, but failed to make the grade with federal officials in Ottawa when it came to flax. Sulfentrazone provides control of […] Read more
Stories by Michael Raine
Taking the rhizobial pulse of your fields
You’ve been growing pulse crops for many years. Each spring you add rhizobium to the seed cocktail that you put in the ground. Do you really need to be adding all those new bugs? Shouldn’t there be enough of the right bacteria in those fields already? Yes and no, answers a senior soil scientist. Fran […] Read more
Keep fuel in the tank
On-farm fuel storage is often taken for granted, say agrologists and engineers. Bulk fuel storage on many prairie farms is a traditional practice. It stems from the need for large and reliable supplies of fuel at critical times and producers’ ability to price their product and manage inventories for financial reasons. Fuel tanks are slow […] Read more
Life after death
Gen Thomson calls his industry the original recycler. Thomson, who runs Harvest Salvage in Brandon, said the industry finds a new life for agricultural cast-offs. It is used by farmers and equipment dealers who need an inexpensive source of parts as well as suppliers of obsolete and hard-to-find pieces. After the salvage companies are done […] Read more
Destroyer flattens rodent mounds
Six years ago Stewart and Irene Walker decided they’d had enough of hay fields and pastures too rough for their equipment. Pocket gophers were infesting the Kamsack, Sask., couple’s fields, leaving the land so lumpy that they had no choice but to tear it up and replant their forages. “It can be a serious problem […] Read more
Grasshoppers keep Manitoba farmers jumping
Grasshopper populations are on the rise in Manitoba as the long-term insect cycle trends toward an increase. This has combined with other insect-favourable factors such as a warm, open fall to create what may be a good 2009 for the insects and a bad one for farmers. John Gavloski, a provincial government entomologist, has worked […] Read more
Rotate crops for more than herbicide resistance
Crop rotations can deliver more than the obvious benefits. For example, fungi, bacteria, viruses and insects are often economically damaging only to a specific crop. “Change the species of the crop in the field and you change the environment for that pest,” says Tom Jensen of the International Plant Nutrition Institute in Saskatoon. Rotations between […] Read more
Check bin temperatures
With harvest over and late fall chores piling up, producers may be tempted to turn a blind eye to stored crop. However, higher than average temperatures and an extended harvest have put the crop at risk. Blaine Timlick of the Canadian Grain Commission said even if grain is classified as very dry going into the […] Read more
Canola research boosted
A new agreement between the federal government and canola industry groups will open the door for more large-scale research projects. The $6 million agreement is intended to improve co-ordination of research and identify projects that meet the goals of the canola council and regional groups. Grower groups will assign producer check-off funding to the agreement, […] Read more
Forage harvester wired for data
RED DEER – With a range of horsepower starting at 350 and peaking at nearly 700, the engines on John Deere’s forage harvesters are attracting attention. However, it’s the little things that make the recent line of forage machines stand out. For example, the self-propelled harvesters can take advantage of an optional Harvest Lab that […] Read more
