Crop Management
The late start to spring and the expected mad rush to apply fertilizer has prompted Matt Gosling to experiment with a new urea fertilizer coating machine. He hopes the new machine may extend the fertilizer application season. Gosling of Premium Ag Services tweeted recently that he was “ready to treat some fertilizer and maybe some […] Read more
Crop Management
Urea coating machine may buy farmers time
Post-emergent herbicides more important in a late year
We have just come through a cold and windy stretch of weather that has not only resulted in slow weed emergence but also a significant reduction in the amount of pre-burn herbicides that have been applied. Farmers either opted to skip the burn-down entirely or were shut out by the weather once they decided to […] Read more
US may adjust 2014 corn ethanol target after outcry
WASHINGTON, May 23 (Reuters) – The Obama administration is likely to partly backtrack on proposed steep cuts to renewable fuel targets for 2014 when it finalizes a rule due out in June, industry sources said. Biofuel groups expect the Environmental Protection Agency to send the final proposed targets to the White House as soon as […] Read more
Weed of the Week: shepherd’s purse
Reducing tillage has increased cash flow, boosted bottom lines and improved soil health. One of the downsides has been minor weeds becoming major problems. Some fall annual weeds have thrived where steel now fails to find them. Worse, pests like shepherd’s purse have managed to escape some of the handiest herbicides, such as Group 2 […] Read more
U.S. processors desperately seeking soybeans as supplies dwindle
CHICAGO (Reuters) — U.S. soybean processors who ran through their supply of soybeans during the winter to meet surging Chinese demand for soymeal are scrambling to find supplies to fill domestic commitments as prices to continue to rise. Tight supplies have left crushers at risk of being unable to fill previously booked orders even though […] Read more
Hot forecast expected to speed Sask. seeding
Seeding progress in Saskatchewan is still slightly behind the five-year average, but the hot dry weather forecast for the next few days will help move operations along. As of Tuesday, progress stood at 22 percent, up from seven percent the week before and behind the average of 29 percent. About half of the field peas […] Read more
Indian farmers could plant record soybean area
MUMBAI (Reuters) — Farmers in India are likely to boost the amount of land devoted to growing soybeans by up to four percent in the crop year that begins in July, as they look to profit from a rally in prices for the oilseed, an industry body said. That would help the world’s top importer […] Read more
Lip service saves crop, wear and tear
Crop material that should be feeding directly into the front concaves of a Case IH Flagship, 7230, 8230 or 9320 might be jumping the grates without the operator suspecting a thing. A new modification is designed to put that crop material onto the front grates where it belongs. Improvements in farm machinery often happen by […] Read more
GM-free canola demand rising
Few GM-free fields ‘It’s a market trend that can be tough to fill,’ says seed grower
An Alberta seed grower says the growing market for non-genetically modified canola and the later seeding season are increasing demand for two of his normally less popular varieties. Bob Mastin of Sundre, Alta., has been working with oilseed crushers in Washington state and Manitoba that want his short season, non-GM canola as well as the […] Read more
Balance fertilizer rate, grain prices for optimal returns
Producers considering reduced nitrogen rates this spring because of lower commodity prices should not reduce rates by the same percentage that they expect prices to fall. The Manitoba Nitrogen Rate of Return Calculator makes this crystal clear. Using multiples of 10 to simplify the example, let’s start with wheat at $10 per bushel grown with […] Read more
