Crop Management
Last summer’s drought ruined crops for producers across the West, but there is a possible silver lining. As crops came off early, if at all, there was little that fertilizer could do without moisture, so unused nitrogen, in the form of nitrate, was left behind in the soil. With that N still in the ground, […] Read more
Crop Management
Group builds Canadian beachhead for new pulse crop
Promoters of high-protein, disease-resistant lupin beans take aim at the expanding plant-based protein market
As plant-based proteins gain in popularity, a disease-resistant crop that delivers more protein than peas and better disease resistance than other pulses is getting a big push through a combination of funders and partners to take it from the farm to the consumer. Lupin beans are relatively new to Canada, said Devan Lewis, but they […] Read more
Growers urged to go slow with lupin production
The pulse crop has significant potential, but researchers are still attempting to solve significant agronomic challenges
Lupin is a promising crop that will likely get a foothold on the Canadian Prairies, but more research is needed into the pulse before this can happen. “I just want to caution the industry right now to not move too quickly. There’s so much demand and so many questions about lupin seed, and I just […] Read more
Soy slump delivers a dose of realism to proponents
Soybeans have faced a sobering slap down in Western Canada. From being lauded as the next Cinderella crop and projected by some to assume a core role in most farmers’ rotations, the crop has experienced a big slump. Rather than hitting three million acres in Manitoba, which many expected by now, the crop’s acreage has […] Read more
Scientists, farmers wait on cover crop funding
Governments in Canada offer some financial incentives but most are smaller and provincial in scope than those in U.S.
Tom Vilsack wants more farmers to use cover crops. In early January, the U.S. agriculture secretary unveiled a goal of 30 million acres of cover crops on soybean and corn fields across the U.S. by 2030. The cover crop target is part of a U.S. Department of Agriculture partnership with Farmers for Soil Health — […] Read more
Blackstrap bean could use excess residual nitrogen
Prairie farmers who had planned for pulses for 2022 may be facing a conundrum: last year’s drought meant the crop left behind a lot of nitrate fertilizer in the soil. When it comes to nitrogen, pulses “bring their own lunch” with symbiotic rhizobia bacteria that form nodules on their roots to capture the fertilizer from […] Read more
Nutrien eyes potash production boost amid turmoil in Russia, Belarus
WINNIPEG, Manitoba, Feb 1 (Reuters) – Nutrien Ltd, the world’s biggest potash miner, could boost production by up to 29 percent in coming years, depending on any sanctions facing rival producers in Russia and Belarus, the Canadian company’s interim CEO told Reuters. Prices of granular potash fertilizer are near 10-year highs in the United States […] Read more
India increases lentil, chickpea acres
India’s lentil crop has recovered well after a rocky start but February will tell the tale, says an analyst from that country. Seeding in the states of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh was delayed this year due to excessive rains and flooding caused by cyclones. “Everybody was a little worried,” V.N. Saroja, chief strategy advisor with […] Read more
KAP meeting focuses on drought, supply chains
Getting through the drought and dealing with the supply chain woes of the late pandemic dominated addresses by government agriculture department and farm leaders at Keystone Agricultural Producers’ annual meeting Jan. 25. Long-term issues such as labour and climate change remain a focus for provincial and national players. “While we understand there is a need […] Read more
NFU asks ag committee to launch fertilizer price probe
The National Farmers Union is calling on the House of Commons standing committee on agriculture and agri-food to launch a fertilizer price investigation. “Fertilizer prices have skyrocketed over the past six months and we want to know why,” NFU Ontario president Don Ciparis said in a news release. Dean Harder, a former NFU director and […] Read more
