If you’ve grown peas, lentils, or any other pulse crop for a while, there may be background levels of rhizobia in your fields. However, it’s still important to use a “fresh” inoculant when you seed. “Inoculants are the rhizobial products that provide the right species of rhizobia for the right crop,” says Sherrilyn Phelps, agronomy… Read More
Croptimistic Technology, based at Naicam, Sask., has been awarded a U.S. patent for their proprietary SWAT Box technology. The SWAT Box is an autonomous soil electrical conductivity and elevation mapping hardware system. It collects the data used to create SWAT maps, a variable rate zone management system. “Our team was successful in developing an easy-to-use… Read More
The federal government announced its draft regulations for a national carbon offset framework, and while the kinks still need to be worked out, the first protocol that is intended to proceed is for soil organic carbon. As such, I’ve been working to lay out what this may entail and why carbon sequestration may not be… Read More
HALO Air Ambulance, based out of Medicine Hat, Alta., is drumming up funding through its first annual lottery. The prizes this year include standard early bird prizes of cash, but the final prize is a little different than a car or a showhome. On offer for the grand prize is $50,000 or the equivalent value… Read More
How do you make pre-packaged, vacuum-packed food enticing? Are there more efficient ways to produce food in remote locations, like on the moon, or a manned mission to Mars? Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to develop food production technologies that will help support long-duration missions in space, but also benefit people… Read More
With the federal government releasing details on its planned carbon offset system soon, soil organic carbon will be a key measurement, and one to pay close attention to going forward. So far, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Marie-Claude Bibeau sees the planned carbon offset system creating an opportunity for farmers to receive credit — and… Read More
It’s a pretty common practice around a farm to name something as a quick identifier — your favourite cow, the barn cat that’s a great mouser, a specific piece of land, or even a piece of equipment. There are often so many pieces of equipment on a farm or ranch that if they’re not named or… Read More
Manure and livestock go hand in hand. Manure can be considered a by-product or waste, or it can be an important soil nutrient source. Andrea Stroeve-Sawa of Shipwheel Cattle Feeders is a seasoned composter, following in the tradition of composting feedlot manure her dad started almost 40 years ago. Andrea’s dad was also talking about… Read More
Let’s start here: not all tillage is unwarranted. In some soils and circumstances, tillage can help warm, dry, or prepare a seedbed before planting and can help bury trash that is otherwise tough for a seeder to get through. At times, burial of residues can provide a larger surface area for microbes within different soil… Read More
Is there a tool out there or a method for assessing and interpreting soil health? Research out of the University of Saskatchewan could provide such a tool, where farmers could put in their soil data, find out their soil health score, and receive interpretation and management advice. “Soil health is defined as its capacity to… Read More
Today is World Soil Day, and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has dedicated this year’s celebration to soil biodiversity. The slogan for this year: “Keep soil alive, protect soil biodiversity.” Closer to home, the Canadian Society of Soil Science’s goals for today’s celebrations are to draw attention to the importance of… Read More
We know you’ve probably been to numerous online meetings now, and you probably don’t want to think about them for a while — but hear us out, here. Like it or not, there are going to be even more online meetings and virtual events with conference season coming up, and although these meetings don’t always… Read More
A recent pulse agronomy webinar hosted by Saskatchewan Pulse Growers (SPG) focused on an emerging chickpea issue found in southwestern Saskatchewan. The presentation was spearheaded by Dr. Michelle Hubbard, research scientist in pulse pathology, who, in conjunction with other researchers, is leading studies on the issue. The as-of-yet unnamed health issue was first observed in… Read More
As the holiday season approaches, you may be stocking up on libations, goodies, groceries, and more. Well, this year, if you live in Ontario, the cream liquor you so admire for your coffee or over ice, will have the Dairy Farmers of Canada blue cow logo. Dairy Distillery, the creators of Vodkow Superior spirits made… Read More
Protein Industries Canada (PIC) has announced a new partnership with the goal of opening new markets for pulse-based proteins and increasing the functionality of these ingredients. Ingredion Inc., Ingredion Plant Based Protein Specialties, located at Vanscoy, Sask., O.M.D. Food Products, Verdient Foods, and T Base 4 Investments have formed a consortium to focus on commercializing… Read More
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