Soil testing increased | At least three new counties have identified clubroot in fields for the first time
It was only a matter of time before clubroot spread its knobby roots into central Alberta. It has been confirmed in three fields in Stettler County this fall. As well, two more cases have been added to the case discovered in Red Deer County last year. And, Flagstaff County officials have added another six confirmed […] Read moreNews
Alberta farmers on lookout as clubroot spreads
Varieties not to blame for poor yields: breeder
A breeder with DuPont Pioneer says modern hybrids actually preserved yields in Western Canada this year. The claim comes in the wake of criticisms from growers about the hardiness of canola varieties. In late August, Manitoba Canola Growers Association president Ed Rempel said the crop industry needs to develop robust canola varieties that can withstand […] Read more
Resistant kochia may have Achille’s heel
Agriculture Canada study | Researchers have found possible sensitivity in Group 2 resistant kochia to other herbicides
A new discovery by Agriculture Canada researchers could help prairie producers better manage harmful kochia weed populations. Officials have documented for the first time negative cross resistance in ALS-inhibitor (Group 2) resistant kochia. Negative cross resistance when resistance to one herbicide results in increased susceptibility to another. The study, recently published in Weed Technology, examined […] Read moreNDP attacks over cuts to farm support program
The federal NDP has accused the government of reckless cuts to farm programs. The issue received scant attention in the House of Commons last week as MPs returned to Parliament Hill, but agriculture critic Malcolm Allen said the recent federal-provincial agreement to significantly cut farm support budgets will leave farmers vulnerable when weather or commodity […] Read more
Quantum’s Triffid flax test provides next day answer
Traces of the genetically modified crop halted flax shipments to the EU in 2009
Westeel and FWS Group work together to capture more grain handling construction
A wave of grain company upgrades and farm reinvestments will create a booming market for Westeel products, company officials said. That’s why it has reached an agreement with FWS Group of Companies to work together to expand each company’s construction business. “There’s going to be a ton of those projects that are going to continue […] Read more
BASF buys Becker Underwood
Part of trend | Big chemical companies are acquiring manufacturers of biological products
Agricultural chemical multinationals are taking a keen interest in companies that produce green crop protection products. “Just in the last month or so, we’ve seen three acquisitions of that nature,” said John Cross, one of the founders of Philom Bios, a Saskatoon inoculant manufacturer that was bought by Novozymes in 2007. The latest deal is […] Read moreCrop looks promising as sugar beet harvest begins in southern Alberta
Yields are estimated at 25 to 26 tons per acre, which is above the long-term average of 22 to 23 tons per acre
Sugar beet harvest started Sept. 19 in southern Alberta, when the first of 30,000 acres of beets were dug in fields near Picture Butte, Taber, Enchant and Vauxhall. Beets from the first fields constitute a “mini-harvest.” They will be used to get the Taber Lantic sugar factory up and running Sept. 25 so that it […] Read moreNew U.S. ag attaché welcomes Canadian posting
Embassy official says working with Canada will likely be less tempestuous than his last posting in Russia
Scott Reynolds has come to a peaceable kingdom after years of fractiousness in his past position. Dealing with existing Canada-U.S. issues and problems should be a more positive experience than dealing with Russian-U.S. farm trade issues. “I’ve been struck with the co-operation between industry and government between our two countries,” said Reynolds, the new agricultural […] Read moreBrazilian miller prefers Canadian wheat
Why would a Brazilian miller buy wheat from Canada when grain powerhouse Argentina is right next door? That’s a question Edson Fernandes Csipai of Bunge Brasil had to answer a few times during a week of meetings at the Canadian International Grains Institute in Winnipeg. “Canadian wheat is much, much better (than Argentine wheat),” Csipai […] Read more
