It was getting tight in Darryl Klassen’s 32- by 64-foot shop south of Kindersley, Sask. The shop was part of the package deal when he bought what is now his home quarter. It quickly became a critical element in his oil hauling, custom spraying and new farming venture, which is now getting close to 5,400 […] Read more
Robin Booker
Stories by Robin Booker
Shop becomes ‘unofficial community hall’
The cattle herd at Lonestone Farms was growing, as was the size and number of machines needed to take care of the purebred Red Angus and Simmental stock. “When my grandfather farmed, we would have had around 50 cows. As we got more cows, we needed more and more equipment to properly feed them and […] Read more
A big storm is rolling onto the Prairies this spring
Ag Growth International has brought another seed treater to the Canadian market, called the Storm Professional, which is geared for seed growers, larger farms and commercial applicators. The Storm Pro can treat 45 bushels of wheat, barley or oats per minute, compared to the company’s original seed treater, the Storm, which treats 30. “We were […] Read more
Fusarium expected to be problem this year
High levels of the disease last year mean farmers have to watch what they seed and pay close attention to the weather
Fusarium pressure was high in last year’s prairie wheat crop, and that doesn’t bode well for this year. “With all this disease from last year, the land is now reinoculated for 2017,” said Holly Gelech of BioVision Seed Labs. “Those nodes hold a massive amount of spores … and they are going to impact the […] Read moreFarmers may have tough time sourcing durum seed
The last two growing seasons have been tough for many durum growers, and quality seed is now very hard to come by. Bruce Carriere of Discovery Seed Labs said he expects durum acres to decline because of lack of seed. “We were estimating back in January 20 to 25 percent (reduction in acres), but […] Read more
Scouting stubble in March can help determine disease risk
The typical March work schedule for prairie crop producers doesn’t include scouting for plant disease in their fields. But Rahul Patel, senior agrologist at Shaunavon Co-op in Shaunovon, Sask., said growers can get a better understanding of the disease pressure they could face in the upcoming year by walking through stubble, collecting samples and testing […] Read more
The one percent clause
High vomitoxin levels in last year’s wheat crop have prairie growers re-reading their delivery contracts. “When a farmer makes a call around to different elevators and such, the DON (vomitoxin) is never really discussed. It hasn’t been in the past, at least,” said Derek Falk of Snowflake, Man., who is facing discounts for rail cars […] Read more
Manitoba farmer experiments with soil fertility techniques
A producer panel held at the Saskatchewan Soil Conservation Assocation conference in Saskatoon brought together four farmers who use techniques not normally seen in the industry, including Ryan Boyd. Click here to read a story about another grower who participated in the producer panel, Colin Rosengren. When Ryan Boyd returned from university to the family farm […] Read more
Farmer extols virtues of intercropping
As legislators wrestle over a formula to price carbon emissions, the effect that specific farming methods can have on agricultural soils and the carbon cycle promises to be a controversial topic for some time to come. Agronomic benefits of healthy soil organic carbon levels are well known. SOC acts like a nutrient reservoir: it inhibits […] Read more
BASF takes time out of lab for show and tell
BASF’s research program in the agriculture greenhouses at the University of Saskatchewan is used to provide plant material for educational and marketing purposes. | Robin Booker photos For eight months of the year, BASF’s research program in the agriculture greenhouses at the University of Saskatchewan is occupied with pre- and post-registration research. For the other […] Read more
