Crop Management
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — U.S. crop advisers are field scouting with remote control helicopters that could be straight out of the movies. “The AutoCopter G15 is a gas powered remote control helicopter on steroids,” AutoCopter president Don Effren told the InfoAg precision farming conference in Springfield July 12. He said the operator can stop on a […] Read more
Crop Management
Miniature chopper scouts fields
Winter peas promising in Alberta crop trials
Alberta Agriculture crop researchers continue to be encouraged by dryland winter pea and winter lentil crop trials. Pulse crops research agrologist Mark Olson said data from the first two years of trials found that winter peas outyielded spring-seeded peas by up to 40 percent. Researchers are still calculating data from the third year. Windham and […] Read more
Western Producer Crop Report – for Aug. 4, 2011
MANITOBA SOUTHWEST Winter wheat above average Showers and non-scorching conditions helped southwestern crops advance well. Late seeded cereals are tillering and going into the flag leaf stage, while earlier seeded crops are heading. Considerable amounts of greenfeed were seeded by farmers looking for something to do with their land, and these crops are in the […] Read more
Greater crop diversity builds resilience
Can we weather climate change? On the Prairies we have come to expect a certain amount of drought, a recurring cycle of grasshoppers, markets that vanish, prices that plummet and now in some places croplands replaced with stands of cattails. Will we make it to next year country? Researchers define resilience as a system’s ability […] Read more
Benefits abound with open market: U.S. wheat leader
Canadian and American wheat producers stand to benefit from the elimination of single desk grain marketing in Western Canada, says the head of an influential U.S. wheat growers organization. Alan Tracy, president of the U.S. Wheat Associates, said the elimination of single desk marketing will result in higher prices for Canadian farmers, clearer market signals […] Read more
Winter wheat growers want options before Falcon reassigned
A group that represents Manitoba’s winter wheat growers will likely lobby for a one-year extension on the reassignment of CDC Falcon, which accounts for most of the province’s winter wheat acres. Jake Davidson, executive director of Winter Cereals Manitoba Inc., said producers are concerned that removing CDC Falcon from the Canadian Red Winter Wheat class […] Read more
Hybrid seed expands with canola oil demand
Bees are among the most important employees for companies engaged in hybrid canola seed production, sales and related chemical technology. The industry is worth an estimated $600 million a year to seed companies. Most of North America’s hybrid canola seed is grown in irrigated southern Alberta. Companies contract farmers to grow the seed, which must […] Read more
Better crops lower price outlook
Wheat and durum are sharply lower in the July Pool Return Outlook for 2011-12 reflecting an improving outlook for supply and the stronger Canadian dollar. The market has already accounted for the production problems arising from the wet spring in Canada and the United States and dryness in Western Europe. Traders are now focusing on […] Read more
How do your hay bales stack up?
You can stack them one on one, stack them side by side, stack them flat side down or stack them in a pyramid. But when it comes to hay quality retention, what is the best way to stack bales? Barry Yaremcio, a beef and forage specialist with Alberta Agriculture, says studies show stacking round bales […] Read more
CWB end will leave void, says official
Other industry organizations will need to take over key functions now performed by the Canadian Wheat Board if the single desk is eliminated, says an American wheat industry leader. Alan Tracy, president of U.S. Wheat Associates, said the elimination of the single desk could leave a void in farmer advocacy, market development, customer support, export […] Read more
