Alfalfa fields | Trial results show Authority, a Group 14 herbicide, might help control kochia
ENCHANT, Alta. — The Group 14 herbicide Authority may be effective against kochia in seed alfalfa fields, according to early data from a southern Alberta plot trial. Though not registered for use in alfalfa, the chemical killed kochia and outperformed Edge and Velpa. The latter two also showed good results. The findings may lead researchers […] Read moreNews
Officials look for additional herbicide options
New soybean variety targets early maturity for Sask. growers
INDIAN HEAD, Sask. — The name of a new soybean variety from NorthStar Genetics Manitoba reflects where the company thinks the future of soybeans is heading. NSC Moosomin is still in trials and should be available in two years. NorthStar is known for naming its varieties after Manitoba communities, but geographically at least the community […] Read more
Sask. restores irrigation canal
Rehabilitation work will begin in September on a segment of the M1 Canal, which is the main irrigation supply line from Saskatchewan’s Lake Diefenbaker. The province announced July 29 it will spend nearly $5 million to rehabilitate part of the 22.5-kilometre canal built in the 1960s. About 1.3 km of the canal will be enlarged […] Read more
Study results encourage tilling
Reducing runoff | Field test shows tilling every two years reduces phosphorus loss
WINNIPEG — A field study has confirmed what University of Manitoba scientists suspected: periodic tilling significantly reduces the amount of phosphorus that leaves agricultural fields. In a field experiment conducted in southern Manitoba, researchers found that phosphorus loss is reduced by 42 percent when the conservation tillage cycle is broken and the field is tilled […] Read moreHot, dry weather in Alberta minimizes disease pressure in alfalfa seed crops
ENCHANT, Alta. — Good news for farmers is bad news for researchers interested in studying the pathogens behind blossom blight and stem rot in alfalfa seed crops. Syama Chatterton, a plant pathology researcher with Agriculture Canada, told the July 23 Alberta Alfalfa Seed Commission tour group that no signs of either disease have been found […] Read more
EU farm payments an omen for Canada?
Reforms to the European Union’s Common Agricultural Policy could have reverberations in Canada, says a farm leader. The European Parliament, the EU Council of Ministers and the European Commission recently reached an agreement on setting a new direction for a policy that accounted for 43 percent of the EU’s budget in 2011. “What’s of interest […] Read more
CFIA’s Da Pont moves to health
There will be a changing of the guard at the top of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency as it rushes to develop new food safety regulations due two years from now. CFIA president George Da Pont will be promoted to become deputy health minister, effective Aug. 12. He will be replaced by former provincial deputy […] Read more
Phosphorus not scarce, just use wisely: expert
WINNIPEG — The president of the British Society of Soil Science says it’s time to stop talking about peak phosphorus because the crisis has been overstated and the issue doesn’t resonate with the public. Phil Haygarth, a soil science professor at Britain’s Lancaster University, agreed that phosphorus is a limited resource, but he said the […] Read more
Scientists urged to better engage public about soil
Influencing public policy | Experts need to explain findings in terms public can relate to
WINNIPEG — Soil scientists who really want to influence public policy need to tell meaningful stories about the importance of soil rather than generate specialized results for a handful of peers. Henry Janzen, a researcher with Agriculture Canada, says that doesn’t mean experiments and the resulting data are irrelevant, but scientists need to use numbers, […] Read moreYear challenging, but positive: CWB
The 2012-13 crop year will go down in history as a year of massive change and adjustment in the western Canadian grain industry. Producers, grain companies and other organizations involved in the grain business were all affected by Ottawa’s decision to deregulate western Canadian wheat, durum and malting barley markets, but no organization was more […] Read more
