Crop Management
Severe storms | Runoff from saturated soil carries away inputs resulting in deficiencies
Intense rain caused a lot of havoc in Western Canada this spring and not just from the floods that devastated southern Alberta. Many farms across the Prairies have also watched some of their inputs flush away. “Most (of the western) precipitation we’ve been receiving this year has been from thunderstorm activity and tends to be […] Read more
Crop Management
Weekly crop report from Saskatchewan Agriculture: July 17-22
Saskatchewan crops continue to be helped by warm weather conditions. The majority of crops are in good to excellent condition, including 87 percent of spring wheat, 83 percent of canola, 80 percent of lentils and 89 percent of peas. High humidity and precipitation have slowed hay progress and decreased the crop’s quality, although 74 percent […] Read more
Soil scientist argues that phosphorus more plentiful than once argued
WINNIPEG — The president of the British Society of Soil Science says it’s time to stop talking about peak phosphorus because the crisis has been overstated and the issue doesn’t resonate with the public. Phil Haygarth, a soil science professor at Britain’s Lancaster University, agreed that phosphorus is a limited resource, but he said the […] Read more
Carefully placed corn seed clocked at 15 km-h
Those nimble 10 m.p.h. European field implements are quite the opposite of most of North America’s large slow-moving machines, but they might have a fit on prairie farms. Surprisingly, that’s the opinion of Pat Beaujot of Seed Hawk, a leading Canadian manufacturer that builds 84 foot air drills and 800 bushel carts. Beaujot said he […] Read more
Precision ag advances to site specific ag and data collecting
Farmer interest in precision agriculture is growing, but that has been the case since the mid-1990s. What’s new is a 30 percent increase in attendance and a 20 percent boost in trade show booths this year at North America’s largest precision agriculture event. Trade show participation was limited only by exhibit hall space. Last week’s […] Read more
Grower, province see potential in hemp seed, fibre
Two income streams | There are existing markets for hemp seed and fibre and more interest is being shown in both
Quips about hemp’s hallucinogenic cousin, marijuana, are inevitable in discussions about the crop, but its potential profit for farmers is no laughing matter. Rod Lanier has been growing hemp for six years on his farm near Leth-bridge, and with hemp seed prices nearing $1 per pound and yields ranging from 700 to 1,200 lb. per […] Read moreScientists urged to better engage public about soil
Soil scientists who really want to influence public policy need to tell meaningful stories about the importance of soil rather than generate specialized results for a handful of peers. Henry Janzen, a researcher with Agriculture Canada, says that doesn’t mean experiments and the resulting data are irrelevant, but scientists need to use numbers, graphs and […] Read more
Syngenta Canada selling hybrid canola seed
A seed company better known for corn, soybean and wheat varieties will soon be adding hybrid canola seed to its Canadian product mix. Officials with Syngenta Canada are still working out distribution arrangements for the company’s first-ever canola seed offerings — SY4135 and SY4114. Duane Johnson, the company’s head of operations for Western Canada, said […] Read more
Wheat, flax varieties deregistered as of Aug. 1
Four winter wheat varieties developed at the University of Saskatchewan’s Crop Development Centre in Saskatoon will soon have their wings clipped. CDC Kestrel, CDC Harrier, CDC Raptor and CDC Clair will be reclassified from the Canada Western Red Winter (CWRW) wheat class to the Canada Western General Purpose (CWGP) class as of Aug. 1. The […] Read more
When vertical tillage isn’t vertical tillage
A string of wet springs has steered a lot of prairie farmers into vertical tillage as a way to seed into soggy soil. Most producers say their new equipment accomplished what it was supposed to, which was to get them seeding sooner. However, vertical tillage can also be an important tool in fighting crop disease, […] Read more
