The winner of DuPont Pioneer’s 2015 Yield Challenge Contest harvested a whopper of a canola crop that weighed in at 116 bushels per acre. Florian Hagmann, who farms about 16,000 acres near Birch Hills, Sask., won the challenge for the third time in four years with his non-irrigated 148 acre field of Pioneer 45H33 canola. […] Read more
Robin Booker
Stories by Robin Booker
Forage legumes excel at managing phosphorus
Farmers can add phosphorus mobilization to the list of benefits they reap from growing forage legumes, according to research at the University of Saskatchewan. Jeff Schoenau, who leads the research project, said the soil legume crops he tested removed more phosphorus from soil then the annual crops he included in the study. In an effort […] Read more
Seed plot drill hopes to standardize research
SeedMaster would like to see the drill adopted across the research sector, which would provide more consistent results
SeedMaster is bringing a new seed plot drill to market, which the company hopes will improve crop research consistency. Owen Kinch, field research manager for SeedMaster, said many of the plot drills used for research are old, out-of-date and use multiple styles of knives and openers that provide varying seed and product placements. This variability […] Read more
Video: A cover crop cocktail that builds soil
On his farm in Bangor, Sask. Garry Richards uses what he calls a cover crop cocktail, which is a cover crop that has many plant species in it. For example, one of his blends is, in pounds per acre: 1.0 turnip, 1.0 radish, 2.0 buckwheat, 2.0 sunflower, 5.0 millet, 25.0 peas, 2.0 annual ryegrass, 25.0 […] Read more
Video: Perennial grain crops good for soil
Tim Crews, Director of research at The Land Institute in Salina, Kansas, presented some of his research into the development of perennial grain crops, including perennial sorghum. The Western Producer caught up to Crews after his presentation at the Saskatchewan Soil Conservation Association annual meeting. Join The Western Producer for more of their Crop Week […] Read more
Fertilizer delivers on demand
Picture a granular fertilizer with a polymer coating that has a thin film of nanobiosensors that will release its nutrient payload only when the crop requests it. “This is not science fiction, we are actually getting this to work,” said Carlton University PhD student Emily Mastronardi, who is developing smart release technology for large-scale applications. […] Read more
Carbon, nitrous oxide key to greener approach
Practices are available that increase soil organic carbon, but fixing more carbon in soil can have unintended consequences
Crop production’s carbon footprint is becoming more important, especially when selling feedstock for biofuel into markets operating under a carbon cap and trade framework. But how can growers reduce the amount of greenhouse gas that their farms emit? “You’re not going to be able to control how much energy it takes to make fertilizer or […] Read moreGoing public? Take social media seriously
If you are planning an initiative that will be in the public eye, social media should be included in your strategy. Not long ago, a carefully crafted news release, op-ed or publicity event could get an intended message out to the public with a manageable blowback potential. Today, people who craft brand images and messages […] Read more
Stacked canola traits allows post seeding glyphosate application
Bayer is registering a hybrid canola that is resistant to both Liberty, glufosinate, and glyphosate herbicides. It may be available in 2016. “It’s not new to them (farmers),” said James Humphris, manager of seed traits at Bayer. “They have been using these traits for many years now. They are just both in the same hybrid […] Read more
Canadian canola has carbon advantage
Studies have found canola increases soil organic carbon, resulting in a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions
The recent Paris climate accord will likely increase world attention on the carbon footprint associated with crops. This could be good news for Canadian canola producers, who produce lower amounts of greenhouse gas than producers in other canola and rapeseed regions. “Canola is unique in terms of the amount of soil organic carbon (SOC) that […] Read more
