There is often a good natured debate about what they are called. Officially, they are the Richardson Ground Squirrel. In polite company they are most often called gophers. In farm country, what they are called is mostly unprintable, especially the adjectives. That being said, the much-maligned pest may have just found an ally in the… Read More
Month: July 2018
We know that peas do not compete very well against weeds. They need some help, especially early on. At the recent Agriculture In Motion field day that was held near Langham, Sask., BASF had a plot to showcase weed control strategies in pulses. In this episode of the Pulse School, field editor Kelvin Heppner talks to Bethany… Read More
What we know A tweet posted July 26th by Dr. Egan Brockhoff, DVM, stated that two environmental samples (not livestock) in Saskatchewan had tested positive for PEDv. Heads up! PED Virus +ve environmental samples. Saskatchewan has found a #livestock trailer and #truckwash positive for the virus. Direct connection to US transportation identified as the… Read More
Do wheat varieties with higher leaf wax levels perform better in dry, stressful growing conditions? That’s a question RealAgriculture agronomist Peter Johnson and C & M Seeds general manager Ellen Sparry tackle on this episode of the Wheat School as they tour C & M’s research site at the company’s Harriston, ON, location. Sparry notes that… Read More
If you have heard us say it once, you will hear us say it again: the crop conditions in Western Canada are quite variable. Surprisingly, though, at Ag In Motion last week farmers repeatedly told us that crop conditions were better than you might expect. This week, Farmlink Marketing Solutions staff and third-party field scouts… Read More
Making her RealAg Radio debut, Jessika Guse — the newest RealAgriculture team member — joined host Shaun Haney to discuss today’s biggest stories in agriculture. On today’s show, you’ll hear about: The EU trade deal with the U.S. on soybeans and the possibility of no tariffs How Canadian and Mexican officials are meeting prior to… Read More
In a move some might already thought was coming, Saskatchewan-based AGT Food and Ingredients Inc announced Thursday it would be seeking privatization. The pulse processing and export company announced the move to go private this morning, but did not offer a clear indication as to when the privatization would actually take place. According to a… Read More
There is natural tendency for people to focus on contention or what seems to be wrong with the world. It is nice, then, to hear about people, communities, corporations, and non-governmental organizations that are working together to make things better. One such project is the Balgonie Harvest of Hope. Franck Groeneweg, an Edgeley-area farmer is… Read More
What happens when you don’t follow the WALES method for adding pesticide formulations to a tank partially filled with water? You really can plug up a sprayer, fail to take advantage of good spraying conditions, and waste time cleaning up the mess. At the recent Crop Masters tour at Syngenta Canada‘s Honeywood research facility in… Read More
All farmers are concerned about how markets have been adversely affected by tariff and fumigation restrictions placed on imports in to India. Peas are of special concern. Markets are certainly roiled, but some new buyers have stepped in to take up some of the slack. Marlene Boesch of Mercantile Consulting Ventures was at the recent… Read More
Ernie Hardeman has been on the job less than a month and farmers have plenty of questions for Ontario’s new minister of agriculture. One question many are asking is what’s happening with Canadian Agricultural Partnership (CAP) funding? RealAgriculture’s own Lyndsey Smith submitted a funding application back in May and waited patiently through the 45-day business… Read More
Quite literally, when it rains it pours, it seems, as much of Ontario got some to too much rain over the weekend and into this week. Is it too late for this year’s thirsty crop? Peter Johnson, host of Wheat Pete’s Word, says possibly not, as this rain comes at a critical stage for the… Read More
A ruling by the European Union’s (EU) top court states that food produced by a series of new biotechnology breeding techniques, such as CRISPR, should be considered genetically modified organisms (GMO). This ruling means the specific food or food ingredient resulting from these gene-editing techniques falls under the EU’s strict regulations and restrictions on GMO. Any… Read More
Today’s RealAg Radio episode is right full of some pretty interesting chats — host Shaun Haney asks Lyndsey Smith to fill in for the top news segment while Kelvin Heppner is on holidays. Of note today, Haney and Smith talk wheat exports, carbon tax tag-teaming, billion dollar payouts and more. Also on today’s show, you’ll… Read More
Grain carts have traditionally been built to unload on the left side to avoid having the cart auger contact unload augers on combines, which are also mounted on the left side. But there’s a benefit to right-side unloading that has led many farmers in Australia to switch sides and a Manitoba-based manufacturer to introduce right-side… Read More