In November Syngenta celebrated its 10 year anniversary. I’ve been President for nine of those years, and have seen first hand the rapid pace of change taking place across the agricultural landscape in Canada. And change, while often feared, can be a good thing – it can bring with it opportunity. Since 2000, the Canadian… Read More
By Shaun Haney Due to the demand for canola acres this fall, canola seed is in high demand from growers across the prairies. For some reason some farmers are asking questions about the quality of carry over canola seed from last year. The assumption is that whether bare or previously treated, the carry over seed… Read More
Luckily most farmers were able to complete harvest in Western Canada prior this very quick shift to cold and snow. As is the case with every year this is the time when farmers and seed producers begin to send in samples to seed labs. Who better to talk about the quality of seed in Western… Read More
The National Farmers Union (NFU) has been throwing stones at Federal Agricultural Minister Gerry Ritz this week about the EU / Canada Free Trade Agreement that should be finalized by the end of the year. In a recent Better Farming story, NFU President Terry Boehm is quoted as saying……. These measures are so draconian that… Read More
This week I helped out Farms.com by filming the Canola Harvest Watch. I talked to Serfas Farms just south of Lethbridge about how their canola harvest went. The Serfas’s are a family operation that farms wheat, barley, canola and silage corn. Mark and Kevin farm with their dad Herb and are based in Turin, Alberta…. Read More
In agriculture we are always looking for different uses of the commodities that we produce. Farmers continue to try and diversify the uses of their products with the help of researchers. Ethanol and bio -diesel are good examples of this but it does just end with bio-fuels. Along with several other stakeholders, the Grain Farmers… Read More
By Garth Donald, Dynagra Well as we grind through one of the toughest harvests in a while there seems to be one thing that keeps coming up is…. €œwhat is left for nutrients in the soil?€ I have been on combines in the last three weeks and some of the yields are unbelievable and proteins… Read More
It is that time of year when farmers are placing their orders for soil sampling with fertilizer retailers and professional agronomists. When you decide to soil test it is essential that you request the proper depths and analysis of those depths in order to make the right fertilizing decisions. Many producers fall into the trap… Read More
The smell of a liquid manure spreader (better known as a honey wagon) is very familiar in many rural areas of Canada. Liquid manure spreaders are very popular in hog and dairy operations. Many people argue that once incorporated, liquid manure is highly beneficial in comparison to its solid manure alternative. In talking to farmers… Read More
Globally, we€™re in a position where demand for wheat is surpassing supply. Figures from the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre (CIMMYT) show wheat demand growing by 1.5 per cent per year, while annual production is increasing by only 0.9 per cent. With the global population expected to rise to over 9 billion by 2050,… 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
Soybean yields in 2010 in Ontario have been outstandings. I have talked to a handful of farmers who have told me that this is the best crop they have ever had on the their farm. With the warm temperatures and timely moisture , the majority of the province has seen the massive benefits right before… Read More
Distiller dried grains (DDG’s) have quickly become a very important part of a beef ration and increasingly at dairies. Created by the ethanol industry DDG’s have allowed many livestock feeders to diversify the feeding ration. When DDG’s first came to the market the supply and delivery logistics of corn DDG’s to Canada was a major… Read More
As we discussed with Dana Omland from Palmerston Grain last week, the USDA report shocked the market. With corn yields being revised lower in the US, many producers are wondering what is the deal with the next year of commodity prices. Will we see a repeat of 2007 or a quick trade and then the… Read More
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