Wet growing conditions last year allowed fusarium head blight to hammer wheat crops across a 1,000 kilometre stretch of the Prairies from Anola, Man., to Biggar, Sask. Canadian Wheat Board agronomist Mike Grenier said that means growers in parts of Saskatchewan will need to take steps to combat the disease this year. “Historically, it’s been […] Read more
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Fusarium a concern across Prairies
Ag critic looks for new committee position
Former farm leader Wayne Easter has carried the party banner on the House of Commons agriculture committee since he was elected a Prince Edward Island Liberal MP in 1993. If he gets his way, he will not be part of the committee in next Parliament, nor will he be agriculture critic. “I certainly wouldn’t mind […] Read more
Sunny days on wish list in northeastern Sask.
Producers who were drowned out in northeastern Saskatchewan last year are entering 2011 with a renewed sense of optimism, says Wes Black, who farms near Somme. Black and his neighbours received 1,000 millimetres of rain last year, and most farmers in the area seeded only one-third to one-half of their normal acreage. But to their […] Read more
Oat producers combat bad reputation in U.S.
When prairie oat growers first started investigating their loss of the U.S. horse feed market, they thought there was a simple explanation: cost. After 18 months of research, they have discovered the collapse is mainly due to a more profound problem: myth. As a result, the Prairie Oat Growers Association has launched a web campaign […] Read more
Plastic made from potatoes?
Earl McLaren and his colleagues at Manitoba Starch Products travelled to Europe several years ago for two weeks of meetings. The Carberry, Man., company manufactures and sells potato starch as a food ingredient and it wanted to meet Europeans in the same industry. After many conversations about potential uses for potato starch, McLaren and his […] Read more
Big business lobby seeks wheat board, supply management changes
Canada’s most influential big business lobby, led by a former Liberal deputy prime minister, is counselling the majority Harper government to get rid of agricultural marketing single desks. The Canadian Wheat Board monopoly and supply management marketing boards, which exist for dairy, poultry and egg producers, are specific targets. The letter to prime minister Stephen […] Read more
Soybeans offer seeding option
Southern Alberta farmers may see soybeans as a late-seeding crop option this year, says a seed farm manager who is promoting the crop in the region. Patrick Fabian of Fabian Seed Farms said soybeans can be planted as late as June 10. Late seeding is likely this year because of moisture conditions. May 15 is […] Read more
Sask. forage producers sign on to wetland restoration project
A pilot program that pays farmers to restore wetlands and sloughs has been a success, say officials from the Assiniboine Watershed Stewardship Association in Yorkton, Sask. But grain and oilseed producers were more reluctant to sign onto the program than forage producers, said watershed manager Aron Hershmiller. He said grain and oilseed farmers generally felt […] Read more
Military called to fight rising flood waters
The federal government is sending Canadian soldiers to build up dikes along the Assiniboine River in Manitoba. Prime minister Stephen Harper authorized members of the Canadian Armed Forces to assist with the flood fight in Manitoba following a May 8 conversation with premier Greg Selinger. “The City of Brandon, Man., declared a state of emergency […] Read more
Gumbo boots and spurs for seeding into mud
Most air seeder manufacturers have a good gumbo opener with some type of mud spur, but many farmers go to the after-market in search of something better. Here is what five after-market companies offer for extreme mud. ATOM-JET Atom-Jet first focused its attention on mud in the 1990s when it set out to develop an […] Read more
