In an attempt to reduce rural crime, the Rural Municipality of Edenwold hired Community Safety Officers and wrangled increased participation in the local rural crime watch program. The RM of Edenwold is located on the eastern boundary of Regina. One of its counsillors, Tim Brodt, said the CSOs deter theft, but also help prevent road […] Read more
Robin Booker
Stories by Robin Booker
Hammering chaff makes mash of weed seeds
The Australian-designed multi-stage hammer mill is mechanically driven, unlike its hydraulically driven competitor
Another harvest weed-seed smasher is being rolled out to Australian producers and may be available to Canadian growers as soon as next year. The Seed Terminator is a multi-stage hammer mill that can be retrofitted to a range of Class 7, 8 and 9 combines. “We call it the colour blind approach,” said Nick Berry […] Read more
Drones spit out facts, not answers
LACOMBE, Alta. — Chris Neeser has been studying drones for Alberta Agriculture since 2014 to gauge the usefulness of current technology in agricultural applications. “We examined the usefulness of imagery from UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) for the purpose of weed and disease forecasting, and hopefully the process might answer some of the questions in case […] Read more
Intercropping has merit, but challenges still exist
Trials have shown reduced disease with a chickpea-flax intercrop, but some are skeptical about a mustard-pulse or canola-pulse mixture
In the midst of diseased lentil fields last year, some growers might have noticed healthier crop stands where wild mustard was present. “There are a lot of anecdotes where they said the only place where they had any kind of lentils worth harvesting is where they had some wild mustard weeds. The lentils were climbing […] Read more
VIDEO: Drones get civilized for agriculture
As drones become more affordable and flyable, an increasing number of growers are kicking the propellers as they try to figure out how to implement this emerging technology on their farms. The sky’s the limit in terms of the possible agricultural applications, but there is a limit to the amount of time and money farmers […] Read more
Harrington gets research report card
Ag Canada scientists weigh the cost and benefit of the machine designed to pulverize weed seeds during harvest
LACOMBE, Alta. — Agriculture Canada began working with the Harrington Seed Destructor last fall to see how it handles weed seeds in western Canadian fields. The machine was built in Australia to help control weed seeds during harvest. “Harvest weed seed control attempts to stop viable weeds seeds from going back into your seed bank,” […] Read more
Temperature key to maintaining canola condition
As the spring turns to summer and the canola stored in the bin yard begins to warm up, there’s always a danger that condensation will cause spoilage when the cold oilseed is exposed to warmer temperatures. “That was the whole point of the study,” said Joy Agnew of PAMI, a research organization that tests farm […] Read more
Polish canola may be an option if seeding runs late this spring
The late spring has growers thumbing through the seed guide looking for shorter season varieties and calling seed growers to see if there is still seed available for early maturing crops. For growers looking for a short season canola, Bob Mastin of Mastin Seeds near Sundre, Alta., said Polish canola might be a good option. […] Read more
Canola gene turns off the green, reduces shatter
Scientists hope to find ways to use the ABI3 gene to remove chlorophyll, thus de-greening the seed after frost
LACOMBE, Alta. — Researchers at the University of Calgary have developed a canola trait they say can reduce green seeds in canola hit by an early frost and improve shatter resistance. Marcus Samuel, associate professor at the University of Calgary, said canola hit by frost 22 to 30 days after flowering is the most susceptible […] Read moreResearchers look to seed treatment for blackleg resistance
LACOMBE, Alta. — The resurgence of blackleg in the prairie canola crop has the industry looking for more tools to beat back the disease. Crop researchers have been calling for longer rotations to reduce the amount of blackleg inoculum on prairie fields, but their calls have largely gone unanswered. Instead, many growers rely heavily on […] Read more
