Spring runoff has been more like a trickle this year in large portions of Saskatchewan and Alberta. Recharging of surface water supply is below normal to much below normal in those two provinces, according to the Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration. Most of Manitoba’s grain belt is near normal or above normal. Gerald Maser farms in […] Read more
Sean Pratt
Stories by Sean Pratt
Few surprises in seeding report
Saskatchewan farmers plan to seed almost a carbon copy of the 2003 crop. A Saskatchewan Agriculture’s seeding intentions report says there will be five percent more canola and 5.5 percent less durum than last year, but little difference in the other major crops. “There doesn’t really seem to me to be anything that stands out,” […] Read more
Containers clog Vancouver port
A huge influx of imported consumer goods from China has created a west coast traffic jam with long lines of containers stacked six deep at the Port of Vancouver. Railways can’t keep up with demands to move the incoming product to markets in Eastern Canada and the U.S. Midwest. The result is a record backlog […] Read more
Feed supply is CFIA’s theory on BSE source
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has issued an official best guess as to the source of the BSE crisis that has crippled the Canadian cattle industry. In a summary of its investigation into an American dairy cow found infected with BSE last December, the CFIA said the cause was likely contaminated feed from a Canadian […] Read more
Bad faith can fall on either side of a contract
It’s a rare day when you hear an agriculture official talk about a “win-lose” situation, but that is what’s happening in some circles of the pulse industry these days. Saskatchewan Pulse Growers executive director Garth Patterson said green lentil prices have plummeted since producers signed contracts in the winter of 2003. That led some processors […] Read more
Elk dinner at Masters impresses golf legends
Elk producers scored an unexpected hole-in-one last week when their product became the featured dinner item on golf’s biggest stage. The Masters is one of the top four tournaments on the Professional Golfers Association tour. As reigning champion, Canadian Mike Weir had the privilege of selecting the menu for the Champions Dinner, a longstanding tradition […] Read more
Group shoots gopher derby
The Saskatoon Wildlife Federation is exterminating its controversial gopher derby in 2004. “It served its purpose and we’ll take a look at it again next year,” said federation business manager Len Jabush. The derby was shelved for a variety of reasons – gopher populations are expected to be down, there was a lack of interest […] Read more
U.S. winter wheat in trouble
The U.S. winter wheat crop is smaller and in worse condition than it was this time last year. In its second crop progress report of the season April 12, the United States Department of Agriculture said 21 percent of the crop is in poor to very poor condition, up from 14 percent in those two […] Read more
Pulses’ nitrogen benefit unpredictable
High fertilizer prices have farmers looking for ways to scrimp on the costly input. One strategy is to seed cereal crops on pulse stubble, taking advantage of the much-touted nitrogen residue associated with pulses. But researchers say that’s a dangerous assumption because the nitrogen carryover effect of crops like peas and lentils isn’t as great […] Read more
Organic growers feel restricted by CWB
Some organic grain buyers have joined a group of growers in calling for an end to the Canadian Wheat Board’s monopoly on organic wheat and barley exports. They say the CWB’s buyback policy is thwarting potential sales, forcing them to look elsewhere for grain. “A lot of growers will step out of the negotiation because […] Read more
