Whether canola should be straight cut or not is a complex question. Some answers have been found through research by the Wheatland Conservation Area agricultural producers group based at Swift Current, Sask., said Bryan Nybo. “Canola is a difficult crop to straight cut due to shattering. And as the price increases along with input costs, […] Read more
Production
Farmers test canola harvest systems
The difference is profit
Small problems in canola production could have big financial consequences next fall, says an agronomist with the Canola Council of Canada. “Five bushels of canola not harvested? That’s what, $65 to $75 (per acre)? You tell me,” Doug Moisey asked producers attending the Saskatchewan Canola Development Commission meetings held during the recent Crop Production Week […] Read more
Guide helps tackle salinity
New varieties of perennial grass can help restore pastures’ productivity within a season or two, says a soil salinity researcher. One-third of prairie land has high enough levels of salt to cause problems, said Agriculture Canada research scientist Harold Steppuhn. “It’s not necessarily uppermost or the highest priority on producers’ minds, but it’s something they’re […] Read more
Where’s our weather heading?
Bob Cormier starts his weather presentation with an apology. “Sorry about not doing something about it, but I can tell you what might happen over the next year,” the Environment Canada meteorologist told producers attending Crop Production Week in Saskatoon Jan. 10. Cormier said prairie producers can expect a cold period of three months or […] Read more
Seed supplies tight for latest varieties
Producers who want to plant top yielding canola varieties or the latest varieties of other grain and oilseed should go shopping soon. Seed growers attending the Saskatchewan Seed Growers (SSGA) annual meeting at Crop Production Week in Saskatoon Jan. 9 said supplies of the most recent releases of herbicide tolerant canola hybrids are tight and […] Read more
Precision fertilizer control more precise
With fertilizer prices these days, an investment in GreenSeeker technology for applying nitrogen at variable rates could pay for itself in short order, according to new research at Agriculture Canada’s research centre in Indian Head, Sask. Guy Lafond, a production systems agronomist with Agriculture Canada, has studied the effectiveness of variable rate application technology for […] Read more
Bare hilltops can be restored
BRANDON – The hilltops in many farmers’ fields look a lot like the tops of many older farmers’ heads: pretty bare, with only a thin, wispy covering. They’re hardly worth shaving with the combine at harvest. But farmers don’t need to accept the baldness of their hilltops, David Lobb of the University of Manitoba’s soil […] Read more
New Products
Disc mower MacDon has released its R80 new rotary disc mower, available in pull-type and self-propelled models. The hydraulic drive mowers are designed to speed forage and haying operations and reduce downtime. The pull-type model features a unique articulated power turn hitch system that allows operators to open fields faster. The hitch attaches quickly and […] Read more
New machine injects solid manure
Nutrient experts believe it’s only a matter of time before surface application of manure becomes a practice of the past. To be ready for that day, the Prairie Agricultural Machinery Institute in Humboldt, Sask., is working on a way to inject solid manure directly into the soil. “That’s the key to the prototype machine we’ve […] Read more
Pulses could find niche in greener crop system
The pulse industry should position itself as one of agriculture’s most sustainable cropping systems, say two Canadian researchers. Agriculture Canada scientist Reynald Lemke told producers attending the Pulse Days portion of Crop Production Week in Saskatoon that rotations including pulses have a better environmental footprint than those relying strictly on cereal crops. Pulses have lower […] Read more
