Michael Raine

Chickpeas are a potential money maker, but few prairie farmers will risk growing the crop, let alone invest a significant amount in the beans. There are no registered herbicides in Canada for chickpeas. Even in the United States, where the crop has a history, there are no recommended herbicides and little research to create any. […] Read more

Rhizobium bacteria can be particular in its choices of hosts. Some plant-rhizobia relationships, like those in chickpeas, are so specific that only a few varieties of the bacteria will create the right conditions for nitrogen fixing in their hosts. Getting it right, when it comes to choosing the bacteria that is introduced to farmers’ fields, […] Read more

Snow has finally hit most of the Prairies, making thoughts of insect infestations seem a distant mirage to many farmers. But if the El Nino that brought the warmest December on record to many regions rebuilds, farmers could be in for a dry spring and that could mean more grasshopper and flea beetles for the […] Read more

Three state-of-the-art steel elevators opened the week before Christmas. ConAgra Canada’s latest facilities began accepting grain at Corrine, Nokomis and Yorkton, Sask. But after several false starts and cancelled grand openings, the largest of these facilities at Corrine has left a few unanswered questions and unpaid bills. Local farmer co-op members at Wilcox, Sask. are […] Read more

Canadians have little to fear from the so-called bird flu virus, say government officials and producer marketing boards. The virus does not easily transmit, other than from bird to bird, and no poultry or poultry products from southeast Asia are allowed into Canada. Biosecurity, distances between farms and Canadian regulations protect against infection and outbreak, […] Read more

Avian influenza, or bird flu outbreaks in Hong Kong that have claimed human lives, are drawing the attention of the world. Poultry growers in Canada and around the Pacific Rim are watching to see if the virus and actions taken to control the disease affect their export poultry markets. Frozen chicken surpluses in southeast Asia, […] Read more

Grading grain is as much art as science and producers shouldn’t feel as though elevator companies have the last word. Buyers and sellers have different perspectives which could lead to a difference of opinion. The only way producers can be certain of the grade is by sending samples to the Canadian Grain Commission. Sampling grain […] Read more

The technology that brought glyphosate resistant canola to prairie fields will finally be used to provide one-pass weed control with hard red spring wheat. “I expect this product will really allow zero till to take off big time. Farmers will be able to control the perennial weeds that have been causing expensive problems for zero […] Read more

Warm weather and snowless pastures are giving cattle producers a break from high feed costs. This winter’s lack of snow, unlike the last couple of years, has left pasture grasses exposed and available for grazing, while the above-average temperatures have reduced the amount of feed cattle need to stay healthy. But experts warn producers not […] Read more

Fire, flood, pestilence. Blame it on El Nino. Recent fires in Alberta dramatically drove home the message of how important snow cover is, even early in winter. Combine that with an unusually low-moisture growing season and farmers have every reason to make the weather top of the coffee shop talk list. “It’s not time to […] Read more