Saskatchewan Agriculture

With the announcement of Saskat-chewan Agriculture’s new Conservation Cover Program, many farmers might be growing forages for the first time this spring. Michel Tremblay, the department’s forage specialist, hopes these farmers first read Saskatchewan Forage Crop Production Guide 2001. It is available at all rural service centres and on the department’s website at www.agr.gov.sk.ca. “Selection […] Read more

High quality kabuli chickpeas have enjoyed good prices the last two years. Last year, however, Saskatchewan Crop Insurance Corp. reported damage claims on 35 percent of insured kabuli chickpea acres, said Ray McVicar, special crops specialist with Saskatchewan Agriculture. There will always be factors beyond farmers’ control, but the chance of producing a high-quality large-seeded […] Read more

The link, if any, between seed-borne fusarium and fusarium head blight is poorly understood, but experts recommend that seed infected with fusarium should not be sown in areas free of the disease. This is especially true if it is infected with F. graminearum, the most important species causing fusarium head blight. “It is known that, […] Read more

Custom operators and farmers may be unaware of a small but important change to the Saskatchewan Farm Fuel Program for 2001 — if eligible, custom operators can claim a fuel tax rebate. The changes to the farm fuel program were announced last November and included removing volume limits and most of the paperwork associated with […] Read more

The pocket gopher, commonly known as a mole, prefers privacy. With no defences against predators, it keeps a low profile underground. Pocket gophers kill plants by eating roots. They also push up large mounds of soil from their tunnels. One rodent can make 50 mounds a year, and its burrows can extend 240 metres. The […] Read more

Although based on only one year of trials, the results of a greenfeed project may be of interest to producers considering their 2001 seeding options. Conducted at the Southeast Research Farm near Redvers, Sask., the trial compared the yield and quality of eight varieties of oats and seven varieties of barley at two harvest dates […] Read more

Saskatchewan’s wild boar producers can’t meet the demand for meat and hunt farm animals. “Wild boar is a good diversification opportunity as there isn’t a huge investment in facilities,” says Stewart Adam, livestock development agrologist with Saskatchewan Agriculture in Prince Albert. “For example, 10 acres of fenced land can accommodate 20 sows, a unit that […] Read more

A sustainable farming conference will be held in Humboldt, Sask., Dec. 8-10. Hart Haidn, chair of the Canadian Centre for Sustainable Agriculture Inc., expects to attract both organic and conventional farmers looking for alternatives. The emphasis will be on sustainability, not organic. “Organic is not necessarily sustainable, and more and more farmers are realizing this.” […] Read more

Farmers are growing more canola, lentils, mustard, chickpeas and field peas in the brown and dark brown soil zones. But compared with traditional cereals, these crops may increase the risk of soil erosion. “The residue of these pulse and oilseed crops is more easily decomposed after tillage than cereal residue. On a pound for pound […] Read more

The Prairie Agricultural Machinery Institute has help for herb growers thinking about converting an old cultivator for row crop use. “We surveyed Saskatchewan herb growers to gather information on their use of tillage equipment, especially older cultivators that had been converted into row crop machines, and observed how this equipment worked,” said Wayne Stock of […] Read more