Crop Management
KANSAS CITY, Missouri — Agco has filled a gap in its machinery lineup with an air seeder and drill. The company that began 21 years ago as an ensemble of short-line farm equipment manufacturers now has a lineup of field tools that fills nearly every spot on a western Canadian farm’s machinery roster. Under the […] Read more
Crop Management
Agco air seeder based on Amity single disc design
Churchill port promoters attempt to find interest in rail line
A railway group with members across the Prairies is hoping to drum up interest in an unused section of rail line that could serve as a key link to the Port of Churchill. Sinclair Harrison, president of the Hudson Bay Route Association, said there appears to be significant interest in buying two portions of an […] Read more
Model predicts bigger prairie crop
An analysis of satellite imagery reveals farmers in Western Canada could harvest more spring wheat than earlier anticipated. Using the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index, researchers at Statistics Canada have determined there will be 17.6 million tonnes of spring wheat production, which is well above the Canadian Wheat Board’s June estimate of 15.9 million tonnes. It […] Read more
Lentil crop expected to finish well
Canadian farmers are set to harvest what appears to be a vastly improved lentil crop, says one of the world’s largest pulse processors. “It is projected to finish well with a good-sized crop, good quality and some estimated yield gains helping to make up for some of the seeded acreage declines,” Murad Al-Katib, chief executive […] Read more
Analysts say commodities can survive financial crisis
Can the bull market in crop prices resume? Even with severe tremors shaking outside markets and rattling the nerves of investors, many analysts think last week’s bullish U.S. Department of Agriculture report means the answer is a confident yes. “Amid the current environment of seesawing sentiment, macro-economic unease and gyrating financial markets, the grains markets […] Read more
Bullish USDA report to help prairie crops
Prairie crop prices should stay firmer than normal for the next few weeks because of the bullish U.S. Department of Agriculture report last week, analysts say. But few were calling for a big new leg upward in already-high markets. “I think we’ll still have (at least) $10 canola even in the fall,” said John Duvenaud, […] Read more
Will southern plains farmers plant wheat in parched soil?
Texas and Oklahoma are suffering the worst drought in decades. July was the hottest month ever recorded in Texas and the 12 months ending July 31 were the driest since record keeping began in 1895. The drought slashed the size of the winter wheat harvest earlier this year and is pushing cattle into feedlots because […] Read more
Short lines nervous about post CWB environment
Uncertainty surrounding the future of Western Canada’s rail and grain handling systems is causing nervousness in the industry, says a former University of Saskatchewan economist and spokesperson for a short-line rail company in southern Saskatchewan. Bill Martin, a board member with the GHR Inc. short-line rail group, said legislation that will eliminate single-desk grain marketing […] Read more
Chaffer works wide open
BRANDON – Billy Prince runs the bottom sieve wide open on the Air Foil Chaffer he installed in his 8820 John Deere combine. While most operators would be reluctant to run like that, Prince said he gets better performance with this setting. Scott Vibert said Prince might be right, but only if everything on the […] Read more
Weed of the week: Spiny sow thistle
Spiny sow thistle is an annual pest in many parts of Western Canada, and has developed Group 2 herbicide resistance in Alberta. With reduced tillage, the spiny annual sow thistle has become a major weed in Western Canada. The plant will germinate in spring or in fall, becoming a winter annual and appearing where late […] Read more
