Crop Management
(Reuters) — A U.S. Grains Council delegation travelled to China this week aiming to resolve a dispute over a genetically modified corn variety that has triggered Chinese rejection of numerous shipments. The GMO corn strain, Syngenta AG’s MIR 162 corn, is approved for cultivation in the United States and approved for import by all major […] Read more
Crop Management
U.S. delegation in China seeking to resolve GMO corn dispute
More U.S. corn-based DDG being okayed for China imports: analyst
CHICAGO (Reuters) — An increasing amount of distiller’s dried grain, a popular corn-based feed grain, is passing Chinese quarantine inspections after state officials rejected some imports containing an unapproved genetically modified corn strain, according to Chinese market analyst JC Intelligence Co. “The situation seems to have improved these days and inspection turns regular,” JCI told […] Read more
UK farm minister calls for EU to approve GM corn in vote
OXFORD, England, Jan 7 (Reuters) – Britain’s farm minister called on the European Union to approve a strain of genetically modified maize in a vote later this month, saying such a move was supported by scientific evidence. “If approval is granted … then it will be the first GM food crop authorised for planting by […] Read more
Frigid blast hits U.S. Midwest soft red wheat crop
CHICAGO, Jan 7 (Reuters) – The U.S. Midwest and Plains remain in a deep freeze on Tuesday morning, with sub zero temperatures at record or near-record lows, raising the risk of winter-kill damage to dormant wheat along the Ohio River valley, meteorologists said. Overnight lows fell to -5 to -10 degrees Fahrenheit (-20 to -23 […] Read more
Wheat nears 2-week peak as cold threatens U.S. crops
CHICAGO, Jan 6 (Reuters) – U.S. wheat futures approached a two-week high on Monday as the coldest weather in two decades threatened to damage dormant crops in the United States. Corn and soybean futures edged higher amid technical buying ahead of a key U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) crop report on Friday and on expectations […] Read more
Seed through heavy trash with corn planter
Monosem handles canola | Trash cleaners push straw to the side, allowing the planter to seed between the rows
Yield isn’t the only criterion when comparing canola seeded with a hoe drill to canola seeded with a corn planter. Growers who have conducted their own field-scale comparisons say they also look at seeding rate, crop health, crop uniformity and ease of seeding and swathing. These factors are especially important if the field yield data […] Read more
Custom canola seeding offers lower rates, same yields
A recent ad placed by a custom operator in Saskatchewan claims that seeding canola through his JD 1790 planter at one pound per acre yields the same as 2.75 lb. per acre. In an interview, Foam Lake farmer Morris Halvorson said the story gets better. “I custom seeded 100 acres of canola at 2.75 lb. […] Read more
Corn, canola and flax among top crop choices for spring
Falling commodity prices mean extra care will be required when choosing crops to grow this spring. A softer Canadian dollar is buffering the price slide, but the reduced returns are not spread evenly among all crops. Wheat has taken one of the hardest hits over the past eight months, losing one-third of its value and […] Read more
Farm meetings are vital source of information
Information is key when it comes to making decisions and farm meetings are a great way to get it. I go to meetings throughout the year as a certified crop adviser and find that the more meetings I attend, the more information I receive, which in turn increases my knowledge base. Farm Tech in Edmonton […] Read more
USDA moves Dow’s 2,4-D Enlist corn and beans closer to approval
Jan 3 (Reuters) – The U.S. Department of Agriculture said Friday it was leaning towards a long-awaited approval of Dow AgroSciences’ genetically altered “Enlist” corn and soybeans that have been heavily criticized by groups who say they will harm the environment. The Enlist seeds are designed to be used in combination with a new herbicide […] Read more
