Crop Management
BRANDON – The kind of probe camera that doctors use to take pictures of their patients’ insides is now available to the public. It’s not the same quality as the medical version, says Acklands Granger representative Jean-Guy Marion, but it can still come in handy. “There’s an LED light at the tip of the probe, […] Read more
Crop Management
Snaky sneaky-cam gives farmers inside scoop
Revamped canola variety trials underway for 2011
Spring and summer flooding hasn’t dampened enthusiasm for the Canola Council of Canada’s newly revamped variety testing program. “It has been a really good start to a new program and a new focus,” said Denise Maurice, vice-president of crop production with the council. Trials are back in full swing after a one year hiatus to […] Read more
Western Producer Crop Report – for Jul. 28, 2011
MANITOBA SOUTHWEST Heat helped wet fields Heat and warmth did wonders for crops that were seeded in the saturated southwest. Heat dried the soil, allowing crops a better chance at normal development. It also propelled crops forward, catching up some of the distance that they had fallen behind normal development. The heat wave stressed crops […] Read more
New heavenly-tasting pear sweet, big and blight resistant
DRESDEN, Ont. — Harovin Sundown may be the crowning achievement of Agriculture Canada’s pear breeding program. The first commercial planting went into the ground in Ontario’s Niagara Peninsula this spring but has been tested in field trials for much longer. “I think Sundown is probably the best of the material we have available at the […] Read more
Open market will kill CWB: chair
The Canadian Wheat Board will be gone within months if the federal government insists on ending all aspects of Western Canada’s single desk marketing system, said the CWB chair. Allen Oberg said the wheat board has no chance of surviving in a completely open market. Oberg said the CWB will contact federal agriculture minister Gerry […] Read more
After dismal spring, heat makes ‘lovely’ crops
Satellite maps of vegetative growth on the Prairies show the potential for a bumper crop if fields keep progressing as they have been. Much of the western Prairies shows up as dark green in the maps, indicating much higher than normal vegetative growth. “The warm weather we’ve had the last week or two has really […] Read more
Winter wheat changes to aid marketing
Changes are just around the corner for winter wheat producers in Western Canada. A new grade – No. 3 CWRW – will soon be added to the Canadian Western Red Winter (CWRW) wheat class. Samples with protein below 11 percent will automatically be graded No. 3, although the wheat could still be used for milling […] Read more
Prairie hail claims low despite severe storms
Prairie farmers have filed fewer hail claims than normal despite a wet and stormy growing season so far. As of July 20, members of the Canadian Crop Hail Association reported 2,650 claims in Saskatchewan, 930 in Alberta and 500 in Manitoba. David Van Deynze of Manitoba Agricultural Services Corp. said the low numbers are a […] Read more
Winter wheat seed supply may be short
Winter wheat seed might be in short supply this year so farmers planning that crop are advised to find supplies now. “I think demand is going to be high because of all the unseeded acres,” said Agriculture Canada winter wheat researcher Brian Beres. “My guess is that seed supply could be a factor. Anybody thinking […] Read more
Big crops in Russia spill into ships bound for export markets
Grain is pouring out of the former Soviet Union like vodka at a Russian wedding. Governments in the region eliminated or loosened export controls weeks ago, the winter wheat harvest is revealing a big crop and spring cereals look good. “Spring wheat crops are in far better shape right now (compared to last year’s drought-ravaged […] Read more
