Michael Raine

SWIFT CURRENT, Sask. – Brian McConkey pulls a chrome soil moisture probe from a piece of ground at a federal research plot south of Swift Current, Sask. A strong, drying, south wind hums a deep, mournful tune from the open pipe of the probe’s handle. The dirt inside is wet from one end of the […] Read more

The popularity of glyphosate herbicide, particularly Monsanto’s Roundup, is creating marketing opportunities for other herbicide makers. Some of these new products control volunteer Roundup Ready canola, while others are promoted for preseeding burn-down to avoid creating glyphosate-resistant weeds because of overuse. “Roundup is the 2,4-D of the 21st century. It is incredibly effective for the […] Read more

On his west-central Saskatchewan farm, Art Walde has planted barley almost every spring for the past 45 years. This year he is “cutting it way back,” partly because of fusarium head blight and its effect on the Alberta feed grain market. Walde, who is provincial vice-president of the Western Barley Growers Association, doesn’t have the […] Read more

John Deere wants to make sure farmers know biodiesel fuel can be burned only in the company’s bigger Power Tech engines. It announced a change in its warranty policy in December, but John Deere spokesperson Pam Barry said it didn’t make it clear enough that the decision applied only to the bigger engines. “It maybe […] Read more

This year’s wheat stem sawfly infestation might be the worst in recent memory, says Brian Beres of Agriculture Canada’s research centre in Lethbridge, Alta. “We are on the crest of a fast rising wave in this insects’ population.” Scott Hartley, a Saskatchewan Agriculture entomologist, said that’s because this year’s dry conditions “are excellent if you […] Read more

More than half of Saskatchewan’s farmers have problems with ground squirrels and experts from Alberta and Manitoba say their provinces are not far behind. Whether it is the seldom-seen, alfalfa-destroying pocket gopher of the central and northern grain belt, or the pasture-perforating Richardson’s ground squirrel of the central and southern regions, they are a significant […] Read more

Trapping pocket gophers is proving more effective than any other method of control. Voracious, buck-toothed, subterranean forage spoilers, the pocket gopher has few friends among hay producers in Western Canada’s darker soil zones. From the Manitoba-Ontario border to the Peace River country of northern British Columbia, it builds dirt mounds in farmers’ fields and eats […] Read more

Scientists with the United States Department of Agriculture think they have figured out how to use vitamin E to stop livestock stress from turning into disease. USDA researcher Ted Elsasser is studying new ways to measure stress and use that information to treat animals. He is studying early warning signs and has found that cell […] Read more

McDonald’s, the world’s largest hamburger chain, is testing Australian and New Zealand beef in a few markets in the U.S. southeast. The company has marketed itself as a buyer of only American product in the past. McDonald’s said it is concerned about the availability of lean ground beef from the U.S., a statement both U.S. […] Read more

Canola research in Saskatoon will get a $7 million boost this year. Wilf Keller, director of the National Research Council’s Plant Biotechnology Centre, has received a $3.75 million federal government grant to improve canola seed. Keller said the rest of the funding will come from various partners. Research will focus on heat tolerance to improve […] Read more