Wheat midge is something that traditionally, farmers in Alberta have not been too concerned about. It was always more of a Saskatchewan issue. Over the past few years however, as we have moved to wetter springs and summers, conditions have changed enough for the pest to become a greater concern. Wheat midge is a pest… Read More
As you dig out the drifts around your seeder and brush the snow off of it, there is a bit of a pre-seed inspection to be done. There is the standard replacement of broken parts that has to be done, but there are also the small bugs and glitches that hold up the process as… Read More
AAAAHHH, COME ON! This is the standard “wake up and look out the window” response these days. “Wet” is the descriptive word of choice around most of the western prairies these days. It’s been coming in all forms lately too, rain, snow, sleet, hail, floodwater, you name it. The closer we come to that critical… Read More
For a lot of farmers marketing wheat can be a lot like playing “Let’s Make a Deal”. You pick what’s behind door number one and hope it’s better than what’s behind doors two and three. It’s guesswork and a lot of luck. For other farmers, it feels like you’re preparing to write a thesis, with… Read More
It may be a bit of an understatement to say that farmers across the west are eager to get in the field and get seeding. In the south end of Alberta, we’ve been teased with one day of sun, one day of rain/snow/sleet/cold. Other parts of the west need to dry up, while Peace River… Read More
For businesses involved in the food industry, a consistent, quality ingredient is a necessity. This is especially true for those involved in baked goods. For those businesses, wheat is a very important ingredients. For Warburtons Foods, based in the U.K., Canadian wheat is specifically what they need and want. Those needs include certain characteristics specific… Read More
Markets go up and markets go down. In the last thirty days canola has taken quite a run in multiple directions. Is it overbought, oversold or just right. Ask all of us in November. The trading range of $500 – $600 per tonne seems to be a real opportunity to trade the range but for… Read More
Originally looked upon as “snake oil” seed treatments have become an integral part of the production system. For the most part many farmers originally had trouble understanding the value because the action was underground. Farmers are used to using products like herbicides that kills weeds which is very visual. The action of seed treatments is… Read More
The cereal leaf beetle traditionally has been a minor pest in Canada. Western Canada has begun to see some of the damage as it has moved north from the United States. Scott Meers, Alberta Agriculture states that the cereal leaf beetle has not yet moved above Highway One but should still be a concern for… Read More
Wheat is a crop that is grown around the world. There is a harvest somewhere in the world every month of the year. The winds of change have been blowing in the wheat industry with the influx of new breeding and trait development capital from the private sector. Many insiders are expecting changes to the… Read More
Farmers across the globe continue to try and improve wheat production. Higher yields and environmental stewardship continue to evolve and be achieved. One of the best ways to learn new practices and raise your personal knowledge of agronomy is to look at other production practices around the globe. A deeper look into how fellow farmers… Read More
In August, I was able to spend a morning with Steve Twynstra, Twilight Acre Farms. Steve runs a diversified farm in the London area and wheat is a major part of his rotation. Steve strongly believes that wheat is not just a rotation filler but a cash crop for his farm. For Steve, wheat has… Read More
At this time of year many canola growers try to figure out if they are going to apply fertilizer in the fall of wait till the spring. I think that many producers make this decisions based on the price of fertilizer in the fall or the need to reduce spring work. There are some more… Read More
The market just continues to get tossed around based on acreage, yield and carry out numbers from Stats Can and the USDA. Today it was the USDA’s turn as they broke the news that they have revised their corn yield estimates down to 155 bu per acre from 160 bu per acre. It has been… Read More
As harvest comes to an end over the next couple weeks it is incredibly important to start laying the groundwork for next years canola crop. The first step is soil sampling and with the warmer temperatures that we are supposed to get the next two weeks this is not the right time. As Ross Mckenzie… Read More