Crop Management
In September, reports that the La Nina weather system was making a comeback raised concerns that South American crop regions would have a dry growing season. However, the weather this seeding season appears ideal and forecasters are increasing their guesses for the 2011-12 Brazilian crop, the world’s second large soybean producer after the United States. […] Read more
Crop Management
South American soybeans free of La Nina trouble … so far
Malt expansion pleases farmers
ALIX, Alta. — The invitation of federal agriculture minister Gerry Ritz to the sod turning of an Alberta malt plant attracted more than just well-wishers. About 16 Canadian Wheat Board supporters held signs and walked in front of the entrance of the Rahr Malting Canada plant at Alix Nov. 1. to publicize their concerns over […] Read more
Former CWB director defends resignation
ALIX, Alta. – Canadian Wheat Board director Jeff Nielsen said he saw no reason to remain on the board after he was suspended for writing an article criticizing the marketing agency. “With the next six weeks of being totally out of the loop, I thought, really, what was it worth?” Nielsen said Nov. 1, a […] Read more
Alta. producer ran large ranch
Ralph Thrall Jr., owner and overseer of the 56,000 acre McIntyre Ranch in southern Alberta, died of leukemia Oct. 28 at the age of 78. The ranch has been in the Thrall family since 1948 and is known for its history in the settling of Alberta’s Del Bonita region and for its sheer size and […] Read more
Researchers crack low phytate soybean puzzle
LINDELL BEACH, B.C. – U.S. researchers have made a breakthrough in their attempts to increase available phosphorus content in soybeans to improve animal nutrition. Reducing phytate is key to making more phosphorus available to livestock because it is the principle storage form of phosphorus in plant tissue but is indigestible for non-ruminants. The conventional belief […] Read more
Future of Canada’s Arctic port questioned in post CWB industry
The Port of Churchill has loaded its last shipment of outgoing Canadian wheat for the year. The MV Champion Bay was loaded Oct. 31 and will carry 26,000 tonnes of spring wheat to West Africa. The Canadian Wheat Board shipped 507,000 tonnes of spring wheat and durum through the northern Manitoba port in 2011. That […] Read more
Two Alta. research groups merge
Two southern Alberta research groups have joined forces following unanimous agreement Oct. 26 by their boards of directors. The Southern Applied Research Association and the Southern Alberta Conservation Association will soon merge to become Farming Smarter. Ken Coles, the agronomist who has been managing both organizations, will manage the new group. All that remains to […] Read more
Pulses are binned, but are they safe?
Dennis Lange is pretty sure farmers would check their grain bins every day if a bag containing $50,000 in cash was hidden inside. “So why don’t we do the same with pulse crops in the bin?” wonders the Manitoba Agriculture pulse crop specialist. Prairie pulse crops came off the field in good condition this fall, […] Read more
Lower no-till yields distort gas emission score
LINDELL BEACH, B.C. — Researchers may have determined that scientists should include emissions from the crops themselves when measuring greenhouse gas emissions from cropland. Expressing emissions per unit of crop yield rather than on a more conventional per area basis produced starkly different results, says Rod Venterea, a research soil scientist with the U.S. Department […] Read more
Hail claims rise in 2011
Prairie farmers collected more money from hail claims in 2011 than they did last year. The Canadian Crop Hail Association released estimates Oct. 28 of the claims and payouts from the just completed growing season. The association said 15,000 claims led to payments of nearly $164 million by its member companies. That compared to payments […] Read more
