Swede midge larvae and symptoms were spotted in much of northeastern Saskatchewan this summer, concerning producers and agronomists alike. This isn’t the first time there has been concern over their movement, however. Three adult midge were found in Saskatchewan in 2007, only seven years after first being identified in Ontario, where their spread has been… Read More
Month: October 2013
A clean start at planting can mean a fall herbicide application, even well into October if conditions are right. Fall weed control is the equivalent of a pre-plant burn-off for winter wheat, for one, but it’s also the best time to get a hold of several weeds, including perennials like dandelion and constantly germinating Canada… Read More
The devastating early blizzard that shut down parts of South Dakota last week is a harsh reminder of how we’re at the mercy of the almighty Mother Nature. As several news outlets are now reporting, the number of cattle who have died or are missing tops the 100,000 mark. Similar to the wicked spring snowstorm… Read More
The Canola Council of Canada released a report today that demonstrates the recent growth in canola’s contribution to the Canadian economy, pegging it at $19.3 billion. “Demand for canola is growing as the world seeks healthier oils and more protein. Producers and industry are meeting that challenge and canola has become a powerful engine in… Read More
When you’ve got many hungry mouths to feed, efficiency counts. And while a big tractor or TMR mixer may help, the process of creating rations and feeding cattle can be made faster and more efficient through the use of a piece of equipment engineered specifically for the task at hand. The Faresin Ecomdoe self-loading TMR… Read More
In case you haven’t heard, the 2013 winners of the Hult Prize (a $1M prize to help entrepreneurs start a proposed business) is a group of students from McGill, who have addressed this year’s theme, “The Global Food Crisis,” with — you guessed it —crickets! Aspire Food Group aims to grow, prepare and sell edible insects. Currently,… Read More
No longer only the concern of Alberta canola growers, clubroot symptoms have been found in at least two Manitoba canola fields. This is a disease that, once established, is not easily controlled and is essentially impossible to eradicate. All canola growers in the Prairie Provinces need to be on the look out for this disease… Read More
Ah, Canada fleabane. This nasty weed isn’t just an issue because of confirmed glyphosate resistance — its very nature of germinating whenever the heck it feels like it means that it’s one weed that can’t be well controlled by just one or even a few control methods. Canada fleabane control and resistance management requires a… Read More
For a province that can seem overrun with highways and hi-tech interests (at least in its most southern regions), it’s significant that its premier, Kathleen Wynne, chose to name herself agriculture and food minister when she took over the reins. She had every other option. You name the portfolio and it could have been hers…. Read More
Changes to the Canadian Grain Commission are in the works, and farmers, grain handlers and industry stakeholders are all encouraged to take a look at the proposed move to an insurance-based model for grain security as a condition of licensing approval. Remi Gosselin, manager of communications for the CGC, says that this change, currently published… Read More
The seed drill does its most precise job if running through uniform residue and soil. While there’s little you can do about soil variability, residue management is well within your power. As Peter Johnson says in this video, start your winter wheat planting pass from the combine by spreading residue uniformly. (Click here to see… Read More
Cereals Canada, a multi-stakeholder, multi-commodity organization, with a goal of enhancing the domestic and international competitiveness of Canadian cereals was recently formed out of the Cereals Council of Canada Working Group. This committee of industry stakeholders came together in 2012 to address the growing national and international interest in cereals. Modeled after other highly successful… Read More
Monsanto Canada’s dicamba-plus-glyphosate-tolerant soybean system is in the works for a 2015 launch, if all goes according to plan (you can read more about that here), and, as part of the system, the company has rolled out more than just new in-the-plant herbicide tolerance. As Derek Freitag, with Monsanto Canada, explains in this interview filmed… Read More
While it would be unreasonable to expect them to come with bottle openers (for shame!), the modern tillage implement should be a multi-use tool, says Keith Belt, of Salford. RealAgriculture.com’s Bernard Tobin caught up with Belt at the Farm Progress Show this last August to talk tillage and tillage implements. In the video below, Belt… Read More
Oilseeds are riskier to store. That’s just a fact, and canola is no different. In fact, the higher the oil content — a plus for the canola crop — is also a liability when it comes to safe storage. In the last Canola School, Keith Gabert, agronomy specialist with the Canola Council of Canada, went… Read More