Crop Management
BRANDON — It’s a dilemma: protect that perfect crop from an invasion of blight, insects or weeds or protect it from the trampling of sprayer tires? Sometimes it comes down to a flip of the coin. Other times, aerial application is the best option. But there isn’t much time to ponder the question. That’s why […] Read more
Crop Management
Portable soil lab gives real-time results
When soil scientists started miniaturizing and making small soil monitoring devices more rugged 10 years ago, the farming world mostly ignored it. There were calls for something more practical. Fast forward a decade and soil scientists around the world now offer in-field, real-time, hand-held soil testing laboratories. Simranjit Singh is product manager at ATP Nutrition […] Read more
Southwestern Sask. looks at little spring runoff
It’s only February, but preliminary runoff estimates in Saskatchewan show that drought areas from the last couple of years may face more dry conditions if there isn’t more snow and spring rain. The report released by the Water Security Agency Feb. 8 shows a wide swath from northwestern through central and southeastern regions with near […] Read more
China’s higher feed corn use could hit barley prices
China is using more corn in feed rations, which could result in lower feed barley prices in Western Canada, says an analyst. “Feed mills have resumed mixing more corn in feed rations as higher prices for wheat and sorghum reduce demand for corn alternatives,” the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) said in […] Read more
Canola goes up, organic goes down
A chart comparing organic acres in Western Canada to the price of canola would be simple: when canola falls, organic acres go up. When canola hits $20 per bushel, organic acres plunge off a cliff. The organic sector doesn’t have official data for acres on the Prairies for 2021 or 2022, but there’s anecdotal evidence […] Read more
Pulse planting acreage trends down
Price, rotation and especially disease weigh on cropping decisions for the Prairies 2023 spring planting season
Canada’s pulse acres are expected to fall slightly in 2023, according to Agriculture Canada’s Market Analysis Group. Pea plantings are forecast at 3.21 million acres, a 4.6 percent decline. Lentils are projected at 4.27 million acres, a more modest 0.5 percent drop. LeftField Commodity Research analyst Chuck Penner thinks the pea reduction will be more […] Read more
Hybrid mustard matches canola yield, but disease concerns remain
Strong mustard prices and available hybrid varieties have prompted a few farmers from outside the crop’s traditional growing regions to consider growing the oilseed. Cory Jacobs, crops specialist for the Province of Saskatchewan, said elevated mustard prices make the new hybrid varieties worth trying, even in northern areas of the province. “The main thing if […] Read more
Stripper header built by NA manufacturer
K-Hart Industries is getting into the stripper business. Kim Hartman is the president of K-Hart, and he said the company’s new Raptor stripper header is similar in design to the European-built Shelbourne Reynolds stripper headers that have been sold on the Prairies for 30 years. “We’re very similar to theirs, we’ve just tweaked it. We’ve […] Read more
Starter fertilizer sprayed on seed, in furrow
Each seed is detected by a sensor when planted, and then sprayed with liquid fertilizer before the closing wheel
John Deere has rolled out the latest upgrade to its integrated liquid fertilizer system, ExactRate, that was launched in 2020. ExactRate gives planters row by row section control that prevents overlap and enables curve compensation for a uniform, in-furrow liquid fertilizer application, the company says. ExactShot allows users of ExactRate to spray starter fertilizer on […] Read more
Modern diesel engines fussy over fuel quality
Free water and water in solution can result in an expensive repair bill for High-Pressure Common Rail fuel systems
BRANDON — Today’s diesels are particularly picky about the fuel we feed them. A small particle that wouldn’t have been noticed on previous generation engines can attack performance on a 2023 engine. Users may think buying fuel from a local high-volume dealer is a guarantee that it’s as clean and pure as the day it […] Read more
