Hemp acres could drop sharply on the Prairies in 2016 because Manitoba Harvest, the largest hemp seed processor in Canada, is not offering production contracts. A Manitoba Harvest representative told growers at a Dec. 15 meeting in Bow Island, Alta, that there’s a glut of hemp seed in storage on farms in Alberta, Saskatchewan and […] Read more
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Surrounded by professionals
This series looks at how farmers, agriculture consultants and service providers are professionalizing agriculture by integrating the many skills required by today’s complex and challenging industry. You can follow the entire series here. ALTONA, Man. — It’s a busy day at B and S Farm, with Eldon Klippenstein on the phone with his broker, hedging 2016-17 […] Read more
News coverage of honeybee numbers questioned
The opening line of an article posted on CBC News’s website last May summarized a commonly held belief about honeybees: “The collapse of bee colonies nationwide (in Canada) is well-established and beyond dispute.” A provocative lead, but not true. Statistics Canada data shows that honeybee colony numbers have increased steadily from 637,920 colonies in 2011 […] Read more
Smarter nutrient use in everyones’ best interest
MOOSE JAW, Sask. — Pristine water from the Rocky Mountains is loaded with nutrients by the time it reaches Saskatchewan’s Lake Dief-enbaker, says a water expert. Howard Wheater, director of the Global Institute for Water Security at the University of Saskatchewan, said researchers are keeping an eye on water coming from the mountains through Alberta’s […] Read more
Doomsday seed vault to open
OSLO, Norway (Reuters) — Two new consignments of crop seeds will be deposited next year in the “doomsday vault” built in an Arctic mountainside to safeguard global supplies. The vault, which opened on the Svalbard archipelago between Norway and the North Pole in 2008, is designed to protect crop seeds against the worst cataclysms of […] Read more
U.S. to tighten GM wheat trial rules
CHICAGO, Ill. (Reuters) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture will tighten regulations for field trials of genetically modified wheat. The USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service said it will require developers to apply for a permit for field trials involving GM wheat planted on or after Jan. 1. Since 1997, such trials have been […] Read more
Ag notes – December 24, 2015
Wheat stem sawfly forecast The wheat stem sawfly forecast map is available on Alberta Agriculture’s website. It predicts that the risk of economically significant sawfly populations will be limited to a few areas next year. Insect management specialists look at four spots inside wheat fields after harvest and count the number of stems that are […] Read more
Tallying up feathered friends
Birders gather in groups, just like the creatures they count, and Christmas is one of their favourite times to get together. This is Charlotte Wasylik’s seventh season counting birds at Christmas. She and 30 other birders from Vermilion, Alta., were scheduled to get together Dec. 19 and count birds. The Christmas Bird Count is conducted […] Read more
Latest PED case evidence virus still circulating
Ontario reported another case of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus Dec. 2, its first since July 14. The province has had 85 premises infected with the deadly hog disease, but many of those have been disinfected in the months since the first cases were found in January 2014. Only 16 new cases were reported in 2015, […] Read more
Pulse crops expected to steal acres from cereals in 2016
WINNIPEG — Canadian farmers are expected to seed more pulse crops at the expense of cereals in 2016, according to early projections from industry experts looking at current market trends. PULSES “Definitely, we’ll see an increase in pulse crop acreage,” said Bruce Burnett, weather and crop specialist at G3 Canada Limited. Lentils and peas are […] Read more
