Two large rolls of tile drainage tubing sit in a field ready to be installed.

Tile drainage seen as good way to boost yields

A South Dakota producer says improved draining not only increases plant health but also keeps nutrients on the field

BRANDON — Brian Hefty came to Manitoba Ag Days on Jan. 22 to give a speech about how to “push the limits” for crop yields. The South Dakota farmer did focus on crop nutrition and why it’s critical for producers to understand the results of a soil test. However, the first 17 minutes of Hefty’s […] Read more

Corn from a combine's auger pours into the box of a truck.

China eyes crop yields

BEIJING, China (Reuters) — China will accelerate the breeding of new soybean and corn varieties and prioritize yield improvements for key grains and oil crops as part of broad efforts to ensure food security. The focus will be on five key crops — corn, rice, wheat, soybeans and rapeseed — and the better use and […] Read more

Louise Carduner measures the ears from where the full kernel rows begin rather than the end of the cob because the last few rows are often unfilled. | Ed White photo

VIDEO: Broker stays old school with corn crop estimates

Apps and satellite services have digitalized the job, but many still prefer to estimate crops up close and personal

LETELLIER, Man. — When it comes to estimating corn crops, Louise Carduner knows there’s an app for that. But she isn’t about to use it. “These are the nicest ears I’ve seen,” Carduner burst out enthusiastically while stripping a fat cob of corn in a field bordering the Red River south of Winnipeg. Carduner was […] Read more


Keystone Agricultural Producers is looking for other commodity group partners on a soil health roundtable following Senate report calling for more action on soil health improvement.  |  File photo

KAP to pursue soil health roundtable

Keystone Agricultural Producers is looking for other commodity group partners on the conservation-based initiative

Glacier FarmMedia – Keystone Agricultural Producers plans to establish a soil health roundtable, encouraged by the recent release of a Senate report on the health of Canadian soils. The report, “Critical Ground: Why Soil is Essential to Canada’s Economic, Environmental, Human and Social Health” was released by the Senate’s agriculture and forestry committee in June. […] Read more

Rows of people seen from the back watching a man give a presentation with two large data slides on the screen behind him.

Global yields have not kept up with increasing demand

Sluggish production blamed on adverse weather conditions and high input costs that lead to reduced fertilizer use SASKATOON — Rising demand and below-trend yields is leading to a tightness in global supply of the major crops, says one of the world’s largest crop input suppliers.The global stocks-to-use ratio for the major crops, excluding China, has […] Read more


Research has found that even after 12 years, relative grain yield was 35 percent lower in fields in which pipelines were installed than on untouched ground.  |  File photo

Pipelines may have long-term consequences for crop yields

British Columbia farmers with pipelines running under their land have complained that compensation runs out long before yields return to normal. New findings from a University of Manitoba researcher suggest they may be right. “Farmers believe … they are really being short-changed,” said Francis Zvomuya, a professor of soil science at the university. During a […] Read more

A desiccated canola plant in front of a drought-ravaged crop.

‘It’s crop insurance territory’

Prairie yields are expected to take a beating this year No hands went up when MarketsFarm analyst Bruce Burnett asked farmers if their yields will be as good as last year. One grower said his would be one-quarter of what they were a year ago. “I drove through some of those areas,” Burnett said during […] Read more