Crop Management
Fraud and breach of trust charges against a former Agriculture Canada researcher at the research centre in Swift Current, Sask., have been stayed. Yantai Gan was to go to trial May 1, but a King’s Bench judge ruled earlier this year that the matter was taking too long. Federal prosecutor Wade McBride said the Supreme […] Read more
Crop Management
Court nixes potato wart review
The Federal Court of Canada has dismissed an application for a judicial review of decisions made regarding potato wart. The Prince Edward Island Potato Board challenged decisions by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and the federal agriculture minister after the fungal disease was found on two separate farms in fall 2021. The U.S. government advised […] Read more
China’s soybean demand slump baffles market
There are signs that China’s soybean demand is slumping, which has ramifications for other crops like canola. The United States Department of Agriculture lowered the country’s estimated 2022-23 soybean crush by one million tonnes in its latest World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates report. Crush is still expected to be robust at 91 million tonnes. […] Read more
Return of El Nino does not bode well for Aussie farmers
The world is transitioning from three consecutive years of La Nina to an El Nino weather event, and that could spell trouble for one of Canada’s top competitors. International climate models suggest El Nino thresholds will be met or exceeded by July, according to the Australian Bureau of Meteorology. “El Nino typically suppresses rainfall in […] Read more
China may become world’s biggest wheat buyer
China will displace Egypt as the world’s top wheat importer in 2022-23, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The country is forecast to purchase 12 million tonnes of the commodity, the highest level since the 12.5 million tonnes imported in 1995-96. It is a stunning turnaround for a country that a short time ago […] Read more
Ranchers ask for growers’ help
SASKATOON — The future of Saskatchewan’s livestock industry depends on the entire agricultural sector working together, said producers during an April 5 livestock summit. “Fight for me to stay in the business,” urged Levi Hull, a producer from Willowbrook who is also a Saskatchewan Cattlemen’s Association director. Speaking during the Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan […] Read more
Map weed clusters to manage resistance
Identifying and quickly addressing weed patches has never been more important as herbicide-resistant weeds increasingly menace farmers across the country. Accurate maps of weed locations are a good first step to squash them before they can spread. There are both established and emerging technologies that can produce precise weed maps. Some weed maps require innovative […] Read more
Pea shooters: do big drills damage seed?
Yellow pea prices hover around $14 per bushel at the elevator, so growers want to be confident their drill isn’t damaging valuable seeds. Charley Sprenger, an engineer at the Prairie Agricultural Machinery Institute, did a study to determine the level of seed damage caused by large air seeders. These require higher air velocity and volume […] Read more
See spores before they see you
Precise timing of fungicide applications can ensure you don’t spray too soon and waste product, or spray too late for the chemical to work. Predicting an outbreak would help. Fungicides work, but timing is crucial. Unfortunately, farmers have not had the tools to make accurate kill decisions. Instead, they rely on intuition and visual symptoms. […] Read more
Do pinto and navy beans need nitrogen boost?
On average, navy and pinto beans produce less than 45 percent of their nitrogen needs through biological fixation with symbiotic rhizobia bacteria. There are few commercial inoculants available and they are not often applied, so farmers typically give their dry beans a springtime nitrogen fertilizer even though they are a legume crop. But beans do […] Read more
