A trouble-free harvest and pandemic restrictions have given producers a rare commodity: ample time to take stock and plan for next year. Unfortunately, too few will use this opportunity. “The sad story is that 21 percent of farmers across Canada have a written business plan and less have other forms of written plans,” said Heather […] Read more
Author Archives
Hunters recruited in war against wild pigs
Officials say it is important to report sightings because the most effective control method is to eradicate an entire group
Darby Warner has a message for hunters out on Saskatchewan fields this season: if you see a wild pig, take the shot. But then call your local crop insurance office to finish the job. “If an opportunity presents itself, they should take advantage of it but the very next thing they should do is contact […] Read more
Learning from COVID-19
With governments around the world rolling out several COVID-19 vaccines, are Canadian development efforts being left behind? “I think it’s too early for us to say, ‘OK, we can sit back and the problem is solved,’” said Dr. Volker Gerdts. “We first have to see how well these vaccines actually do.” Gerdts is director and […] Read more
Lean cuisine
Much like the people afflicted by the COVID-19 itself, the pandemic’s effect on the hospitality industry varies from manageable to catastrophic. Jim Bence, president and chief executive officer of the Saskatchewan Hotel and Hospitality Association, called it a “perfect storm.” First came the lockdowns this spring, and with it, recreational travel almost entirely stopping. Major […] Read more
Canola-palm oil blend eyes elusive market
Southeast Asian consumers use little canola oil, but a Malaysian company thinks it has a way to get a foot in the door
Southeast Asia presents a challenge for canola: hardly anyone in the region of more than 664 million people uses it. “Canola oil only constitutes 0.4 percent of a total of 30 million tonnes usage,” said Soon Bin Neoh of Soon Soon Group, a food and feed company in Malaysia. This is much lower than the […] Read more
Biotech fruit-fortified canola opportunity
Researchers at the University of Alberta are developing canola to serve nutraceutical and cosmetic markets by producing an oil profile similar to pomegranate. Gavin Chen, a researcher and Canada Research Chair at U of A’s Plant Biotechnology Lab, said pomegranate oil is high in punicic acid. The fatty acid purported to deliver a range of […] Read more
Interest continues to grow in carinata’s biofuel hopes
Correction – December 22, 2020 – 1700 CST – There are several new 600,000-tonne biodiesel production facilities in the United States planned or under construction (rather than a single facility). Nuseed works in Europe, Southeastern United States, (rather than Southeast Asia) and Australia. Yield potential for carinata could be as high as 60 bushels per […] Read more
Building better canola leftovers
Research from Germany has identified a single culprit behind the bitter taste of canola meal, a first small step in making protein concentrates from the crop useful for human food products. Christoph Hald said that since 1960, the world’s consumption of protein has gone up by a factor of four — much faster than population […] Read more
Controlling weeds with insects
Some insects are fussy eaters and it’s a weakness farmers and ranchers can exploit to control noxious weeds. One of the best-known examples of this plant-insect relationship is the monarch butterfly, whose larvae feed exclusively on milkweed. “The monarch butterfly is a good example of something that would make a really good biocontrol agent, should […] Read more
Fertilizer and biostimulant show promise
Biocontrols for clubroot are explored as resistant varieties fail and chemical controls remain unavailable
When Crop Aid Nutrition approached Sheau-Fang Hwang to test their product’s effect on clubroot in canola, she tried to dissuade them — virtually any other crop disease would be a better target. “I said, ‘you choose a very tough pathogen to work with,’” she said. “If you choose some other soil-borne pathogen, like Fusarium, it’s […] Read more
