In 2018, Canada imported 5.11 million kilograms of honey, worth $35,392,813. In 2017, Canada imported 6.66 million kg of honey worth $41,331,228, and in 2016 Canada imported 6.56 million kg of honey worth $38,063,604, according to Statistics Canada. Before April 1, 2017, the CFIA tested 64 to 100 samples of imported honey a year for […] Read more
Robin Booker
Stories by Robin Booker
Plant breeders battling blackleg with disease resistant varieties
Life science companies have much to brag about when it comes to the resistance they’ve deployed in Canadian canola varieties, which has successfully kept blackleg pressure relatively low in this country. In the early 1990s, blackleg throttled canola production by as much as 50 percent in some fields. Resistant varieties then became available to producers, […] Read more
Soybeans could replace pulses in rotation
Growers who want to extend their pulse rotations but do not want to reduce the amount of nitrogen fixed in their soil by a legume should evaluate soybeans as a cropping option. Disease pressure in the prairie pulse crops has waned over the past two growing seasons under drier conditions, but pea and lentil growers […] Read more
Measuring blackleg’s impact on profitability
Blackleg may not be the most yield-robbing fungus that prairie canola producers face, but it is certainly a concern. “Growers shouldn’t assume that blackleg doesn’t have a repercussion for their overall profitability,” said Clint Jurke of the Canola Council of Canada. As the prevalence and severity of blackleg crept up over the past decade in […] Read more
Low disturbance double-disc
K-Hart industries has come to the market with a low disturbance double-disc opener, but it’s nothing like the double-disc seeder your grandpa used. The discs on K-Hart’s 8612 opener are different sizes — a 17-inch lead disc and a 14.5-inch opener disc, which enables what the company describes as undercut opener design. The leading disc […] Read more
Caution urged when buying pedigreed seed
Pedigree seed tested in Saskatchewan so far this winter has a relatively high quality, but that doesn’t mean growers shouldn’t use caution when sourcing their seed. Jason Danielson of Discovery Seed Lab said compared to previous years the durum seed stock looks good, while growers should be cautious when sourcing oats and legumes. “Germs and […] Read more
Video: High quality seed in Sask.
Jason Danielson of Discovery Seed Lab discusses the seed quality of Saskatchewan crops he’s seen through the lab so far this testing season. You can find all our coverage of Crop Production week 2019 here.
Big UAV: Robot makers enter ag spray market
Robots that have crept out from the fighting pits have spawned a massive drone that will soon take on agricultural pests. The KIWI Aerial Utility Vehicle weighs in at 1,200 pounds and has a 50-gallon payload and a 30-foot spray boom. Adam Bercu and Charles Guan, veterans of combat robotics, spearhead the project. “If you’ve […] Read more
VIDEO: Agri-Trend founder joins DOT marketing
MARICOPA, Ariz. — DOT Technologies Corp. has brought in Rob Saik as chief executive officer of DOT Ready Retail, a new sales and marketing side of the business. DOT is a Saskatchewan-built robotic platform designed to bring autonomous farming to broad acre grain production. “DOT Ready Retail will run in parallel to the DOT manufacturing […] Read more
Video: The right to repair
Tom Schwarz discusses options farmers have to promote their right to repair their own farm equipment. You can find all our coverage of Crop Production week 2019 here.
