Getting canola in the ground in the first week to 10 days of May generally improves yield by between five and 12 percent over later seeded crops, says the Canola Council of Canada. Research trials conducted by the council show that 70 percent of the time, canola yields are highest when planted by the end […] Read more
Stories by Michael Raine
Producers keep an eye on cattle
Retinal scanning is not just the stuff of spy movies. It has made its way into the beef business, based on the need for traceability of meat. Fast food companies demand traceability, specialty grocers sell it and governments either require it or soon will. Now a Colorado company is using an animal’s own body to […] Read more
Weigh equipment costs with returns
Farmers should keep in mind the acres they work when trying to decide what equipment they need. A sharp pencil and an idea of the average cost for Canadian producers can ensure a machinery investment is made wisely. With farm equipment, producers can tie up a lot of what might otherwise be operating capital in […] Read more
Herd health best shield against PCV2
Managing PCV2 in hogs is more about avoidance than treatment. Porcine circovirus type 2 is pushing tight Canadian hog farm margins into the red for up to 20 percent of producers. After a 10-year lull, PCV2 has exploded in Eastern Canada and the disease is on the rise in the West, with the notable exception […] Read more
Canola hates starting cold
Cold is OK for delivering revenge and great for beer. But it’s bad for soil temperature when it comes to planting canola. Producers should avoid cold soils wherever possible, said David Blais of the Canola Council of Canada. “It can be tough to stay away from with the ever-larger number of acres we have to […] Read more
Calculator helps farmers determine crops’ fertilizer economic thresholds
Economic thresholds for fertilizer use depend on grain price and yield. Producers can’t do much about the price and they can buy only two elements of production that provide significant returns toward yield: seed and fertilizer. “In a year when margins are this thin, or even worse, may not even provide a positive return on […] Read more
Experts stumped by birth of giant-sized calf
It was a big one. A 205 pound heifer calf that was born to a seven-year-old Charolais cross cow on March 19 is one of the largest live-born calves known to researchers. Marthe and Dennis Osmachenko of Sonningdale, Sask., thought the cow might be expecting twins from its size, but were shocked to discover that […] Read more
Vaccines promise PCV2 control in hogs
New vaccines may help producers keep PCV2-related diseases out of their herds. Four drug makers are in the process of releasing vaccines that will help build immunity to porcine circovirus type two, but none are available in Canada. Researchers and veterinarians say PCV2 combines with a variety of other diseases, as well as elevated animal […] Read more
Runaway runoff wreaks havoc
KENASTON, Sask. – A rapid spring melt is finding its way into many rural peoples’ lives across the Prairies this week. Water backed up on Beaver creek last week where it met a provincial highway near Kenaston, Sask., until it surrounded a local farm and flooded thousands of acres of cropland. The Red River has […] Read more
Beware miracle supplements: agrologists
Snake oil, monkey juice, frou-frou dust: the names that crop scientists call the untested, miracle crop supplements that promise big returns for a few dollars are less than complimentary. Agronomists fear that low grain prices and high fertilizer costs may drive desperate grain producers to seek low-cost production alternatives that don’t deliver. “It seems worst […] Read more
