CREMONA, Alta. – Chinook Country Farms has been raising beef near Cremona for three generations. In the early 1990s, the farm got into the export timothy production business when that industry started to take off. “We were not selling much hay before the timothy market came to be here,” says Larry Gano, who farms with […] Read more
Production — page 86
Hay dryer helps make the grade
Green alfalfa not bloat safe after frost
With the end of the growing season approaching, many producers may consider grazing their final harvest of alfalfa, but they need to pay careful attention to nitrate toxicity. Frost will not typically cause nitrate toxicity in alfalfa, but it is always recommended to test the crop, especially if background nitrogen levels are high. Nitrate concerns […] Read more
Tried and true tester goes digital
Thousands of prairie farmers still depend on the venerable Motomco 919 tube-type tester, some of which date back to 1951. Although the dial-style tester lacks the accuracy of modern digital moisture testers and requires periodic trips to the shop for calibration, many farmers who have bought low-cost imported testers have experienced bad results and have […] Read more
Firm puts depth into soil reports
One reason fertility recommendations have earned a bad reputation is they often involve more philosophy than science, says Greg Patterson, president of A&L Soils Canada. “A farmer will take a fertilizer recommendation from his favourite soil lab and shop it around. He’ll take it down to a fertilizer dealer and then maybe over to an […] Read more
Test forage crops to determine nitrate levels
Nitrates are the most important issue when thinking about harvesting stressed crops for feed, says Glenn Friesen, a forage business development specialist with Manitoba Agriculture. When growing conditions are normal, nitrates are not bad. The building blocks for proteins, they are absorbed by the roots and sent to the leaves where the sun’s energy turns […] Read more
Caution required with high nitrate feeds
Feed that might be high in nitrates must be tested to determine its concentration so it can be blended or diluted and safely fed to cattle. When blending low nitrate feed with problem feed, the amount required to dilute the problem feed will depend on the level of nitrates in the forage (See Table 1). […] Read more
Early tissue testing vital
At first glance, the A&L Plant Monitoring Program may seem like nothing more than a conventional plant tissue test. However, A&L Soils Canada president Greg Patterson says the company’s tissue testing process is a vital piece of a bigger puzzle. “The poorest tissue tests on your farm should come mid-season from your best producing field. […] Read more
Homegrown recommendations wanted
In a perfect world, a soil test report wouldn’t include a fertilizer recommendation, says Mandy Huska, Saskatchewan agronomist for Taurus Technologies in Regina. “Our company believes the actual fertilizer recommendation should only be made at the local level and based on local conditions.” Taurus, an independent company formed in 2001 to be the on-the-ground arm […] Read more
Timing critical for alfalfa harvest
While the first cut harvest of many alfalfa fields in Manitoba was above average and early in 2006, the second cut harvest did not yield so well. Dry conditions and hot temperatures pushed many alfalfa stands to flower early and provide below average yields. As a result, many producers are looking to either squeeze more […] Read more
Keep malathion away from canola
Producers are urged to keep malathion far away from canola seed. Growers should not use the insecticide to treat canola in storage bins, nor should canola be stored in bins that have been treated with malathion in the past six months. Using malathion to treat canola for storage or in empty bins where canola will […] Read more
