February 23, 2012

FarmTech 2012 – Blair Roth – Will Pulses Will Be A Supply or Demand Story This Year

Blair Roth

The pulse industry across Canada is looking at an aggressive growth strategy in the coming years. The Saskatchewan Pulse Growers Association in particular have targeted a major expansion in acres by 2025 and they’re not the only province looking to grow. Alberta as well has some very aggressive thoughts on what may happens to pulse [...]

Herbicide Resistant Weeds Affecting Canadian Farmers

photo courtesy of Univ. of Missouri

The issue of herbicide resistance is a concern to all farmers. This is especially a concern in the areas where glyphosate tolerant crops are planted extensively. Prices over the past five years have made growing certain glyphosate tolerant crops very profitable. That profitability is causing some farmers to push their rotations which can impact in [...]

Older Herbicides Come Back Into Play Against Resistant Weeds – Dr. Hugh Beckie

weeds in corn

The issue of herbicide resistance is a problem not fully realized, but it will get bigger, its just a matter of when. The amount of glyphosate and other similar products in use on tolerant crops right now coupled with the profitability of those crops means rotations will be pushed, giving more weeds exposed a greater [...]

Fixing the Current Beef Industry Model in North America – Bill Helming

Margins in the feedyard business are tighter than they have ever been in an extremely volatile market. Fuel is expensive, feed is expensive and the Canadian dollar is high. The beef industry is struggling to stay competitive. “Break even” is a term that holds more weight now than it has the industry’s history. With volatility [...]

Wheat School: Key Growth Opportunities for Canadian Wheat – Earl Geddes, CIGI

The Canadian wheat industry is changing, especially in the west. The elimination of the single desk is the key factor driving that change. Across the country, everyone involved in the industry is evaluating and strategizing in an effort to determine how this will affect their business and what they have to do to successfully adjust [...]

Wheat School: Biotech Companies Continue to Expand Research into Wheat Breeding – Norm Dreger, Syngenta

Wheat is an important crop globally. From a food production standpoint, with regards to rotation on the farm and from an economic standpoint, wheat is “key” crop worldwide. The biotech industry has taken notice of this, and a great deal of new interest has been invested into wheat. Companies like Syngenta have expanded their efforts [...]

Why Does it Take So Long For New Malt Varieties to be Accepted? – Erin Armstrong, Canterra Seeds

Anyone who grows malt barley knows the number of specifications it has to meet in order to be acceptable. There are some years where those specifications can prove very frustrating to growers. When that barley doesn’t meet specifications, one of the areas that gets the blame is variety, the grain company or the CWB. After [...]

Becker Underwood Unveils Nodulator XL for the Pulse Market

Field Peas2

The bottom line is that farmers want to see their yields increase, and that’s what we’re providing.” Becker Underwood’s Director of Marketing Ralph DeVries. With the release of the new Nodulator XL inoculant for peas and lentils, DeVries says that they’ve improved upon a number of things, most importantly, a more active strain of rhizobium [...]

Meridian Showcases the Advantages of the Smooth Walled Bin

Proper storage options for your crops are critically important both before you plant and after you harvest. In most cases, maintaining quality while in storage after harvest means maintaining your crops value. Keeping your seed free from moisture and bugs prior to planting can help preserve and maintain things like germ and vigor. In the [...]

The Industry comments on the Canada Beef Merger

A new single national agency for beef marketing, promotion and research is in the works for Canadian cattle producers. The new single agency comes as a result of a Canadian Beef Export Federation member vote to consolidate their operation with that of the Beef Information Centre (BIC) and the national beef checkoff agency. The merger [...]