Crop Management
Canola producer groups and industry work toward a tool to help manage harvest losses from Prairies’ most valuable crop
Nicolea Dow found 2020 to be a particularly exasperating year for growing canola at her farm near Portage La Prairie, Man. Blistering summer heat and ill-timed rains meant green stems mixed with over-ripe plants whose pods had already burst, spawning growth of canola seedlings between the mature plants. Prolonged, high winds while the crop was […] Read more
Crop Management
Can pod shattering be prevented?
Researchers are working to fine tune genes responsible for flinging 20 percent of canola on the ground
Ever since humans started farming, they have been fighting against crop plants’ tendency to spread their seed far and wide, said Lars Ostergaard a plant geneticist from the John Innes in the Norwich, England, at the Canola Week online conference on Dec. 1. Ancestral cereals, like their near-wild grassy cousins, tended to toss their seeds […] Read more
Scientists reveal key to growing pod-shatter resistant variety
A group of Chinese researchers has identified the candidate gene that lends shatter resistant variety OR88 that trait
Rapeseed harvesting losses caused by pod-shatter may be eliminated after scientists said they have unlocked the secrets to a resistant variety’s strength. Chinese scientists have studied a highly rpod-shatter resistant rapeseed variety called OR88, and identified the reasons behind its mysterious durability. The scientists say the research promises to provide breakthroughs in the development of […] Read more
Agritechnica becomes latest casualty
After being postponed, the world’s largest farm technology show has been cancelled for February 2022
Organizers of the world’s biggest farm machinery show, Agritechnica, have cancelled the already postponed event for 2022 due to increased COVID-19 regulations and cases. The DLG, German Agricultural Society, has officially cancelled the event that had already been postponed from its traditional November 2021 date to Feb. 27, 2022. Agritechnica normally attracts 2,800 exhibitors and […] Read more
Predict your yields for 2022
The western Canadian agricultural industry saw a brutal year in 2021. It was frustrating to have record prices for grain and then have Mother Nature turn on us and not provide the wherewithal to produce crops to take advantage of them. With many crops yielding much below half of what is considered average in any […] Read more
Racing to be China’s Monsanto
BEIJING (Reuters) — As China prepares to open its $120 billion corn market to genetically modified seed, little-known Dabeinong Biotechnology hopes to reap the benefits of early biotech investments and a law keeping foreign firms on the sidelines. The long-anticipated commercialization of GM corn in the world’s second largest producer is set to significantly boost […] Read more
Dry conditions threaten U.S. winter wheat crop
The U.S. winter wheat crop is heading into dormancy in the second worst condition of this century. The U.S. Department of Agriculture reports that 23 percent of the crop was in poor to very poor shape as of the end of November. It is the lowest rating for that period since 2012. “Across portions of […] Read more
Analysts say McDonald’s, Beyond Meat plan big U.S. McPlant expansion
NEW YORK, Dec 14 (Reuters) – McDonald’s Corp is planning a major expansion of its plant-based burger with Beyond Meat Inc in the United States in 2022, according to two Wall Street analysts. The companies began testing the “McPlant” patty in eight McDonald’s U.S. locations in November. Those restaurants have been selling enough of the […] Read more
USDA sees little renewable diesel benefit for soybean oil
Analysts generally concur that the burgeoning renewable diesel industry will result in exploding demand for soybean oil through 2030. But there is one notable exception. The United States Department of Agriculture is forecasting static soybean oil demand from the renewable fuel sector after 2022, at about 12 billion pounds per year. “I find that a […] Read more
Ukraine 2021 grain harvest 98.6 percent complete
KYIV, Dec 13 (Reuters) – Ukrainian farms have harvested 84.17 million tonnes of grain from 98.6 percent of the sowing area, with the yield averaging 5.36 tonnes per hectare, the agriculture ministry said on Monday. The volume includes 32.4 million tonnes of wheat, 9.9 million tonnes of barley, 40 million tonnes of corn and small […] Read more
