Peat granules: only in America you say? Pity. Tonnes of new Rhizobium bacteria and Penicillium bilaii fungi-infected peat moss granules are growing quietly on palates in a shiny new, 110,000 sq. foot warehouse and production facility in Saskatoon. But the new technology that will allow American producers of pulse crops to take advantage of the […] Read more
Production — page 102
New peat granules off limits in Canada
Inoculation good bet in bad year
Red ink will be hard to avoid this spring when pencilling out seeding choices, but some production investments could help make the best of it. Fran Walley, a professor and head of soil science at the University of Saskatchewan, said when it comes to pulse crops, inoculating them with Rhizobium bacteria “is the best bargain […] Read more
Disc drill mid-row bands ammonia
CARMANGAY, Alta. – At first glance, Dennis Benci’s John Deere 1860 looks like a standard three-row disc drill. Except John Deere didn’t make a three-row 1860 drill. In the late 1990s, Benci, a seed grower near Carmangay, Alta., was seeding with a New Noble Seedovator. “I would classify that as minimum till – it’s a […] Read more
Winter wheat acreage jumps
Despite the seemingly bad conditions for seeding winter wheat last fall, Statistics Canada reports that acreage in 2005 has increased dramatically to 750,000 acres across the prairie provinces. That represents the biggest winter wheat crop since the mid-1980s, when prairie farmers seeded 1.1 million acres. In 2005, Manitoba farmers led the way sowing 330,000 acres. […] Read more
New Products
TIG torch Weldcraft recently introduced the Super Cool 18 TIG torch to eliminate overheating on higher amperage, water-cooled applications. Super Cool 18 operates up to 400 amps and features a patented water-cooling chamber, which is designed to limit downtime associated with overheated torch components. The chamber allows water to flow down, around and up the […] Read more
Price puts focus on fertilizer efficiency
The high price of fertilizer is boosting interest in efficient nutrient use. Every farm and field is different. It is important to select the best management practices suited to field conditions. Efficiency has many facets. Nutrient management is more than applying the minimum to get an average crop. It needs to consider how the productivity […] Read more
Prepare combine for winter sunflowers
Penzance, Sask. – Harvesting sunflowers can be an exercise in patience, according to one long-term grower. The oilseed has been grown on the Thorson farm near Penzance, Sask., for more than 30 years. “My dad grew them in ’72 and we’ve grown them, off and on, ever since. I’ve been growing them fairly steady since […] Read more
Seed not best place to scrimp
Pinching pennies can come at a cost for producers who opt for common seed rather than certified seed when planting forages, says a Manitoba Agriculture range and pasture management specialist. Although common seed is less expensive, the downside is the potential for poorer productivity, Jane Thornton said at a recent Manitoba Grazing School in Brandon. […] Read more
Fungi has rosy future on the farm
NISKU Alta. – Mycorrhizae is a naturally occurring relationship between fungi and plant roots that scientists believe has existed for about 400 million years, and which colonizes 95 percent of all plant species. The role of mycorrhizal fungi has always been to help plant roots gain better access to moisture and nutrients in the soil. […] Read more
Seeds get dose of the future
NISKU Alta. – You don’t have to wait to see the day when all fertilizer and crop protection products are applied to the seed, according to Bob Graham of Graham Seeds in Olds, Alta. “It’s not something that’s coming around the bend. It’s here today,” said Graham. “All you have to do is travel to […] Read more
