Crop Management
Worries about exceptionally tight world grain stocks are receding except for corn, and its shortage is helping to prevent a general grain price retreat. Barring a collapsed world economy, grain and oilseed prices will likely remain attractive up until seeding season, but if Mother Nature cooperates next year, the world’s farmers might catch up with […] Read more
Crop Management
Weak corn markets coming?
RMs want changes to compensation
Some Saskatchewan rural municipalities that declared disasters due to flooding are finding they don’t qualify for all the financial help they thought they would get. The Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities last week sent out a survey to find out just what its members are experiencing with the Provincial Disaster Assistance Program. President David Marit […] Read more
Flood related issues, prevention plans among resolutions at SARM convention
Saskatchewan rural municipalities say they know when to declare a local emergency, and when to call one off. RMs dealing with flood emergencies the last two years had to declare a new state of emergency every seven days, according to the province’s Emergency Planning Act. One section of the act says a local emergency declaration […] Read more
Genome map of cannabis sativa plant helps growers
A recently completed genome map of the cannabis sativa plant has potential benefits for hemp and marijuana growers. Cannabis sativa is the plant species that includes hemp and marijuana. University of Saskatchewan biology professor Jon Page and University of Toronto professor Tim Hughes have published their research on the genome of cannabis sativa in the […] Read more
Margin management more important than wheat board
I predict a Golden Age of Disappointment to follow the end of the Canadian Wheat Board’s monopoly. At least it will be for those who have exercised their lungs aggressively for 20 years about the allegedly overwhelming importance of the issue. For less ideological farmers, it’ll be just another year of grinding out a margin […] Read more
A burning desire for energy efficiency
FARGO, N.D. — Gasification furnaces extract twice the heat from a cord of wood as do conventional outdoor water furnaces, says a furnace manufacturer. Brian Martin of Portage and Main Outdoor Water Furnaces said the firebox in a conventional outdoor water furnace is used to burn wood and is the source of heat for the […] Read more
Pioneer Hi-Bred patent protects soybean varieties
Pioneer Hi-Bred is patenting some of its seed traits now that Monsanto’s patents on genetics for Roundup Ready crops are starting to expire. The move ensures that farmers continue to annually invest in the company’s genetics. The last Monsanto owned patent ends in 2014, with most having expired in 2011. Monsanto is offering a new […] Read more
Wheelchair users slide into driver’s seat of pickup
FARGO, N.D. — Wheelchair-bound farmers can now trade that weakling minivan for a wheelchair accessible three quarter ton, 4×4 pickup. GoShichi has converted a four-wheel drive Chevrolet Silverado pickup to be wheelchair accessible. The truck is extensively modified so the two left side doors open straight out 36 inches, allowing the wheelchair platform to slide […] Read more
Can organic production feed seven billion people?
The organic industry is often asked, “but can organics feed the world?” The question seems to imply that “organic” is a warm and fuzzy idea or a trendy menu item, but certainly not a realistic system for addressing world hunger. As the world population hits seven billion, perhaps it is time to give the question […] Read more
Bird seed processor enters new frontier
Kent Rathwell doesn’t believe in being passive in business. The owner of the Sun Country Farms bird food manufacturing facility in Langham, Sask., this year faced the possibility of a sunflower seed shortage because of flooding in southern Saskatchewan and Manitoba. His solution was to grow the crop himself, even though he had no farming […] Read more
