Crop Management
As irrigation water allocations become more scarce, irrigation farmers battle each other and government regulators for water rights. Some parties have expressed concern about the long-term sustainability of irrigation farming. Nutrien agronomy director Karl Wyant lives in Arizona. He said working in the ag sector while living in a desert focuses one’s attention on the […] Read more
Crop Management
Get a bearing on disc maintenance costs
A high-speed disc from Ukraine suits prairie conditions because the farmland is similar High-speed discs have caught on in the last decade. However, premature bearing failure can be an issue, caused by speed and the violent work expected of the machine. One of the latest high-speed discs to enter the Canadian prairie market is the […] Read more
Push for ‘glyphosate-free’ causes market risks
Glyphosate is registered for pre-harvest weed control in many Canadian crops. But with public and food industry attention on the herbicide, applying it to a crop in August is still a major market risk for farmers and Canada’s grain trade. For instance, it can be sprayed on pulse crops to control weeds, because maximum residue […] Read more
Russia sends first pea shipment to China by boat
Exports had previously moved by rail and truck since the two countries signed a phytosanitary agreement last year
China has cleared the first ocean vessel of Russian peas, according to a trader of the crop. A ship loaded with 55,000 tonnes of peas that sailed from the Port of Novorossiysk has passed inspection by China’s customs administration. Peas had previously been moving to China by rail and truck from Russia’s Siberian regions, but […] Read more
U.S. ethanol sector feels under siege
Industry points the finger mainly at government’s focus on electric vehicles, but recent fuel tax credits are also criticized
The product that sparked the first big global grain rally of the 21st century is under attack in the United States, according to an industry official. Various U.S. federal government regulations are promoting electric vehicles and other low-carbon options at the expense of ethanol, according to Geoff Cooper, president of the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA), […] Read more
Canola varieties show genetic resistance to verticillium
University of Manitoba researcher leads study to better understand genetic resistance to the soil-borne disease
CARMAN, Man. — Research in Manitoba has found some canola varieties, or canola lines in the development pipeline, have resistance to verticillium. That’s a relief for canola growers because verticillium stripe has become a common disease in canola fields, at least in the eastern Prairies. “I don’t know if they’re commercial (varieties) or not. The […] Read more
Organic farmers feel grasshopper pressure
Some producers consider reducing their organic acres or getting out altogether after the insects devour crops across Sask.
SWIFT CURRENT, Sask. — Organic growers may have decisions to make after grasshoppers chomped their way through prairie fields this summer. A survey of 51 Saskatchewan organic farmers found they all expect production and financial losses because of grasshopper damage, and the destruction is greater than last year. “The grasshoppers of 2023 may be the […] Read more
New tentative deal reached at west coast ports
(Reuters) — West coast dockworkers in Canada and their employers’ association have reached a settlement agreement, the parties said, as they look to end a dispute that risked further disruptions at the country’s busiest ports. Both the International Longshore and Warehouse Canada Union (ILWU) and the British Columbia Maritime Employers Association (BCMEA) are recommending the […] Read more
Sask. drought hangs over mustard price outlook
Producers have planted a big crop, which could lower prices, but continued dryness may also slash yields and raise bids
LANGHAM, Sask. — Mustard growers and buyers have their guns drawn but nobody’s shooting yet. When the clock hits “harvest,” there could be a violent resolution of the supply-and-demand showdown. “We’re all holding our breath as we get to harvest,” said Peter Gorski, senior grain buyer for BroadGrain Commodities. “There’s a lot that’s hanging on […] Read more
Researchers coat phosphate with humic acid
The project is intended to determine if liquid form of humic acid will improve germination and growth in canola and flax
Researchers continue to search for ways to help growers make nitrogen and phosphate fertilizer applications more efficient. Derek Derdall, manager of Nutrien’s retail centre in Outlook, Sask., is looking at the possibility of coating phosphate fertilizer with a liquid form of humic acid, the natural acidic organic polymer, in hopes of improving germination and growth […] Read more
