Crop Management
Canada’s top two wheat customers are expected to be major buyers again in 2023-24. The U.S. Department of Agriculture is forecasting China will import 11 million tonnes of the commodity from all suppliers. That would be a drop from last year’s massive 13.28 million tonne program but well above the five-year average of 6.5. million […] Read more
Crop Management
Canola counts on agronomy, future innovation
Sector is convinced that improved agronomy in the short term and big innovations in the 2030s will push yields higher
In early October, Western Producer reporter Robert Arnason spoke with Curtis Rempel, vice-president of crop production and innovation with the Canola Council of Canada. The topic was canola yield gains over the last two decades and what will drive gains in the future. RA: What happened in the 2000s, which led to significant yield increases […] Read more
Farmers watch as verticillium extends its reach in Sask.
The canola disease appears to be moving west and north after being found in eastern part of the province last year
Anecdotal evidence suggests that verticillium is moving north and west across Saskatchewan. In 2022, Saskatchewan Agriculture staff discovered that verticillium stripe, a disease of canola, was commonplace in the eastern part of the province. This fall, producers in other regions have found the disease in their canola. “I’ve got verticillium in Davidson like you wouldn’t […] Read more
Faith in StatCan continues to nosedive
The chasm between federal and provincial lentil yield estimates continues to grow. Stat Publishing said markets “received something of a shock” from Saskatchewan Agriculture in its Oct. 5 crop report. The report pegged the province’s average lentil yield at 1,305 pounds per acre, which is well above the 931 lb. per acre forecast by Statistics […] Read more
Will diesel give up its dominance?
The future will likely see a variety of energy sources for agricultural implements as the number of options increase
In a recent online discussion hosted by DLG (the German Agricultural Society), Professor Till Meinel, of the Cologne Institute of Construction Machinery and Agricultural Engineering in Germany, offered his thoughts on the future of power sources for farm equipment as the world looks beyond fossil fuels. “I’m convinced,” he said, “we will have a good […] Read more
From tires to tracks: traction continues to evolve
Taking a look at how the rubber belted Challenger was inspired by a collaboration between implement engineers
Another instalment in the article series that tracks the development of ag equipment during the 100 years of The Western Producer. Take a look at images of early tractors and the obvious design differences were wide and varied as inventors searched for that perfect configuration, one that could efficiently turn engine power into usable traction. […] Read more
Bigger chickpeas hard to find
Large calibre kabuli chickpeas are in short supply. “There are reports that this year’s harvest in Canada was dominated by small calibre product,” Stat Publishing editor Brian Clancey wrote in a recent article. “Limited supplies of eight millimetre or larger chickpeas is supporting bids for those sizes, while discounts for seven mm and smaller sizes […] Read more
Making the grade
Early in the testing of rubber belts, engineers had to determine if rubber belts could stand up to higher-speed travel. At that time, they were being tested on a road grader. To evaluate their high-speed performance, a grader was modified to travel much faster than normal. The 5:1 reduction in the final drive was removed, […] Read more
EU running low on high protein spring wheat
The market fundamentals for spring wheat are bullish, says an analyst. “I think you’re probably going to be looking at better pricing opportunities here in the future,” said MarketsFarm analyst Bruce Burnett. Strong demand combined with supply problems in key export markets would suggest the crop is undervalued. Minneapolis spring wheat December futures have tumbled […] Read more
Pulse sector unfazed as lentil ban demanded in India
Pulse Canada remains “hopeful and optimistic” about lentil trade with India despite political tension between the two countries. India’s Chamber of Trade and Industry (CTI) recently sent a letter to India’s minister of commerce and industry, Shri Piyush Goyal, urging him to ban the import of lentils from Canada. The letter was sent in response […] Read more
