Three million acres of pulse crops grown annually in Alberta is a goal well within reach, says an Alberta Agriculture pulse crop specialist. Mark Olson believes growers are already 75 percent of the way there, based on the 2.4 million acres planted to beans, peas, lentils and fababeans in the province in 2016. “I’m confident […] Read more
Tag Archives Agronomy — page 3
Interest surges in cover crops
It’s become difficult to avoid cover crops. The crops, which improve soil health, help boost the yields of subsequent cash crops or provide forage for livestock, are constantly in the agricultural media, and many farm conferences have them on the agenda. Many farmers remain skeptical of the hype, but the innovation has become a normal […] Read more
Change is in the air for food sustainability
There are many innovative products and services available to Canadian crop producers that could help improve sustainability. However, the global food sector is struggling to find ways to reward growers who adapt sustainable technologies and techniques. Big food companies have made public commitments to source ingredients that are better for the environment, and more opportunities […] Read more
When canola gets to 100 bushels
Of the eighty farmers that participated in the first year of Agri-Trend’s Canola 100 Challenge, 16 decided to pay the $1,000 fee to have their crop verified. “Mother Nature took over and we won’t get the last four or so verified because they are buried underneath snow and rain, but we do have a list […] Read more
Ont. crops rebound, but climate change weighs on minds
CHATHAM, Ont. — Farmers in the Great Lakes Basin may no longer be able count on stable weather patterns, according to an agronomist with AGRIS Cooperative. “We used to try to predict the future from the past and now our future is looking to be nothing like the past. We’re working on a blank piece […] Read more
Following rotation advice not easy
Most canola growers don’t want to hear lectures about three-year or four-year rotations. However, it’s not because they don’t want three-year rotations; it’s because they can’t. “The message of extend your canola rotation is on deaf ears because there aren’t many other (crop) options,” said Brett Halstead, president of the Canadian Canola Growers Association and […] Read more
Durum acres fall prey to fusarium
Winter cereals gain in popularity as durum production grinds to a halt in areas once considered safe from fusarium head blight
Fields that once grew profitable durum no longer do so because of fusarium, leaving some to speculate that prairie durum may go the way of the dodo bird and the dinosaur. Plant breeding and fungicide application can do only so much in the war on fusarium. As a result, strategic rotation has become an increasingly […] Read more
Major setback or minor disruption?
It is clear that heavy rains have caused yield and quality damage to this year’s lentil crop but it’s too early to assess the extent of the damage, say experts. Much of the prime lentil growing region of Saskatchewan has received excess summer rainfall. A wide swath, stretching from the southwestern corner of the province […] Read more
Telemetry; wireless data transfer key to precision ag
It seems that I have a greater appreciation for history as I age. What I’ve found is that many instances in history can be applied to these current times of advancing technology. Data communication is one of those technologies that have evolved as precision agriculture has advanced. As a favourite quote says, “there is always […] Read more
Herbicides keep costs down, help feed world
If farmers stopped using herbicides many environmental groups would be pleased, but consumers may not rejoice because food would be much, much more expensive. A Weed Science Society of America study has concluded that corn yields would drop by 52 percent and soybean yields by 49.5 percent in the U.S. and Canada, if producers didn’t […] Read more
