Robin Booker

Robin Booker

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Robin Booker is the Editor for The Western Producer. He has an honours degree in sociology from the University of Alberta, a journalism degree from the University of Regina, and a farming background that helps him relate to the issues farmers face.

Stories by Robin Booker

A study designed to evaluate wheat lines under different climate scenarios found increased CO2 in the atmosphere can improve yields. However, the higher temperatures that are expected in 50 years due to climate change will suppress crop growth even with increased CO2 in the atmosphere. | Robin Booker photo
Crop Management

Warming likely to offset CO2 benefits

Climate change’s higher carbon dioxide levels expected to increase yields, but higher temperatures will negate the positive effects

There is a flaw in a common coffee-row discussion point, that global warming will be good for Canadian agriculture because warmer temperatures and more carbon in the atmosphere will help farmers grow bigger crops. This is because even though elevated CO2 in the atmosphere will increase photosynthesis in crops, warmer temperatures will negate any positive […] Read more
The solar rays reflected back into the atmosphere from a canola crop has a cooling effect equivalent to the sequestration of millions of tonnes of carbon into soils. Brian McConkey of Viesco Solutions said this should be accounted for in Canada’s National Inventory Report. | Robin Booker photo
Crop Management

Crop residue recognition called vital

Industry says accounting for soil organic carbon from crop residues helps ag reduce its net greenhouse gas emissions

Crop residues are now included in Canada’s national carbon inventory report, but more work needs to be done to recognize the climate mitigation benefits of growing canola, said Brian McConkey of Viesco Solutions. He said the inclusion of crop residues in the carbon inventory report dwarfs other production changes, including tillage systems, when it comes […] Read more
Canola seed with poor vigour can cause weak seedlings that can’t stand up to flea beetle pressure. Vigour testing seed has not been made mandatory in any country, but the seed regulatory modernization underway in Canada could be an opportunity to implement standardized testing for vigour and other seed characteristics. | File photo
Crop Management

Should canola seed vigour tests be mandatory?

A s certified a seed grower, Mike Shewchuk provides his customers with vigour test results for the seed he sells off his farm in Blaine Lake, Saskatchewan. It’s information he said should be available on every bag of canola seed sold in Canada. “If I’m selling seeds to a customer from my seed farm, I’m […] Read more
The rusty grain beetle is a pest that feeds on stored wheat, rye, corn, barley and millet. Owners of stored products including grain, processing facilities and warehouses may be able to use other insects to control the damage done by this pest. | Vincent Hervet photo
Crop Management

Beneficial bugs protect stored grain

Intentionally placing bugs in grain and food processing facilities to help manage pests is a tough idea to swallow in Canada, but the practice has been used in Central Europe since the mid-1990s. Vincent Hervet, an entomologist with Ag Canada in Winnipeg, conducted a literature review on the use of biological controls in stored products […] Read more
Malting barley varieties such as AAC Synergy are popular on the Prairies but are not particularly suited for Atlantic Canada conditions, so researchers are looking to European heritage barleys to serve a growing east coast craft beer industry. | Aaron Mills photo
Crop Management

The search for the perfect maritimes malt

Researchers look at heritage varieties from around the world to match eastern fields and craft beer drinker palates


Agriculture Canada is searching through heritage barley from the United Kingdom, France and Russia to adapt varieties for the Maritimes’ malting and brewing industry. “We originally got some varieties from the John Innes Centre in the southern United Kingdom,” said Aaron Mills, research scientist at Ag Canada in Charlottetown, P.E.I. He said a project ran […] Read more
Supply chain problems have forced John Deere to move away from a linear production model, where the production of equipment is scheduled far in advance. It now produces some farm equipment in batches when the availability of parts allows it. | John Deere photo
Crop Management, Machinery

Machinery supply chain woes linger

John Deere moves to a batch-production model as the manufacturer looks for a way to pull through parts shortfall

Equipment manufacturers are not through the woods when it comes to supply chain issues that have hampered their production for many months. “We don’t see these challenges easing up until maybe mid 2023 or even later,” said Ben Smith, production and precision ag marketing operations manager at John Deere. “We’re going to have to continue […] Read more
JCB Power Systems built a prototype hydrogen refuelling unit on a Fastrac tractor that can travel up to 45 m.p.h.. The system can refill JCB’s hydrogen-powered machines up to 16 times before it has to be recharged. | JCB photo
Crop Management, Machinery

Hydrogen refueler plan Fastrac’ed

Multiple companies are working on hydrogen-powered agricultural equipment, but supporting infrastructure needs to be built before significant adoption of this emerging technology is possible. JCB Power Systems decided to look upon this problem as an opportunity, and it designed a mobile hydrogen refuelling unit that can transport hydrogen on farms and construction sites. Chris Giorgianni […] Read more
In both photos, the standard fungicide seed treatment is on the left, while LumiGEN FST is on the right. The demonstration indicates the LumiGEN Fungicide Seed Treatment package improves vigour, biomass and disease protection. | Photo provided by Corteva
News

Seed treatment offers dual pest protection

Corteva’s latest fungicide covers disease and insects such as airborne blackleg, cutworms and flea beetles

A new active ingredient called Lumiscend that Corteva Agriscience offers in its LumiGEN fungicide package protects canola from blackleg fungus including its airborne spores. Seed treatments that prevent blackleg-contaminated canola seed from starting an infection have been around for a long time but they offered no protection to seedlings that get infected in the field. […] Read more
Syngenta’s Pelta technology delivers uniform seed size to allow for precise rates and seed spacing between rows. Think seeds per acre rather than pounds per acre. | Syngenta photo
News

Coating creates consistent seed size for canola-by-planter

The industry has come a long way since bushel per acre was the most common denomination used to set seeding rates. “Going back even just a little, five years ago, you talked about planting canola in pounds per acre and that was kind of the standard, but now a thousand kernel weights have come into […] Read more
When used in root crops, the Soiltech Wireless sensor can monitor a crop through its entire production cycle from growth, harvest, transport, and into storage. The sensor is buried during planting and then harvested with the crop. | Soiltech photo
Crop Management

Firms allow sensors to work together

Ceres Imaging and Soiltech Wireless say the recent agreement allows their technology to validate each other in the field

Ceres Imaging and Soiltech Wireless have entered into an agreement that enables the two systems to work together. Soiltech Wireless offers a cellular-based wireless sensor, while Ceres Imaging uses in-field sensors, advanced analytics and high-resolution imagery to provide a macro-level look at crops. Ehsan Soltan of Soiltech Wireless said the company’s wireless sensor monitors crops […] Read more

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