Crop Management
BRANDON — The new 1,600 bushel Haul Master from Elmer’s Welding features a special rubber track and undercarriage designed specifically for grain carts. Manager Mike Friesen said the growing demand in Western Canada is the main reason for diversifying into grain carts. “Grain carts have been in general use in the States for years. Every […] Read more
Crop Management
Grain cart on track to move in muck
Out with rain, up with grain with combine cover
BRANDON — With so many combine hopper covers available, why would anyone bring yet another one to market? Adding an additional 100 bushels capacity to the hopper is one good reason, said Lawrence Dueck of Horizon Agro in Morris Man., developer of the new Umbrella Bin Extension. Dueck said the Umbrella also forms a weather […] Read more
Fusarium, sclerotinia risk high in wet areas
VANCOY, Sask. – Fusarium head blight will likely need special attention this year. Mike Bakker, BASF’s brand manager for fungicides and agriculture products, told a recent field day that this year’s wet conditions have created ideal conditions for fungal diseases such as fusarium. The disease could be seen in areas that haven’t been previously affected, […] Read more
Woody biomass studied for farm heating
INDIAN HEAD, Sask. — It wasn’t so long ago that most people heated their homes by burning wood. That fuel could soon return as an important heat source but in a cleaner, more efficient way. A pilot project at the federal Agroforestry Development Centre near Indian Head will use woody biomass, mainly chips from willows, […] Read more
Manitoba set to turn manure into electricity
WINNIPEG – A dairy operation near Winkler, Man., could be producing electricity next winter from manure. Manitoba Hydro, the crown corporation that generates and distributes energy in the province, intends to build a biogas digester that will generate 50 kilowatts of electricity and heat from the manure of 200 cows at Sweetridge Farms. The digester, […] Read more
Western Producer Crop Report – for Jul. 21, 2011
MANITOBA SOUTHWEST Unseeded land drying Warm weather in July has dried up soaked fields that went unseeded this spring, allowing producers to spray weeds and plant greenfeed. Canola crops are under stress because of excess moisture in June and too much heat in July. Some canola fields are bolting and haven’t cabbaged out. Winter wheat […] Read more
Annual smartweed
The annual smartweed is a dicot that produces 3,000 seeds per plant and can grow up to a metre tall. Plant densities of 150 per sq. metre can reduce wheat yields by 35 percent and canola yields by 25 percent. Fifteen to 20 plants per sq. metre in canola will reduce yields by five percent. […] Read more
CWB set to explore marketing alternatives
Farmers aren’t likely to be interested in a marketing system that allows them to voluntarily pool their grain, says the chair of the Canadian Wheat Board. The concept was expected to be one of the options considered by wheat board directors as they met this week to look at alternative marketing models. Allen Oberg doesn’t […] Read more
Timing is everything with fungicide
SWIFT CURRENT, Sask. – The timing of fungicide applications on cereal crops is critical to protecting yield potential, says Saskatchewan’s plant disease specialist. Faye Dokken-Bouchard told producers at the Wheatland Conservation Area field day near Swift Current that they must know at what growth stage a particular crop sets its yield. That in turn determines […] Read more
Rain, heat a perfect recipe for sclerotinia development
LACOMBE, Alta. — Rain, more rain, high humidity and warm days have created ideal conditions for the development of sclerotinia in canola, says Alberta Agriculture oilseed specialist Murray Hartman. High canola prices and a potential for high canola yields means farmers should seriously consider spraying for sclerotinia, especially if sclerotinia stem rot was a problem […] Read more
