The Canadian Wheat Research Coalition (CWRC) – a collaboration between the Alberta Wheat Commission, Saskatchewan Wheat Development Commission and Manitoba Crop Alliance – has committed $2 million over five years towards a core breeding agreement with the University of Alberta (U of A). The investment will fund research activities through U of A’s wheat breeding… Read More
Will precision planting pay when it comes to winter wheat yield? How do things like down force and row spacing contribute to a more uniform winter wheat stand? In this Wheat School episode, we’ve got our latest research update from the Follings Research Farm with Peter “Wheat Pete” Johnson and Joanna Follings, cereals specialist with… Read More
Yield enhancement networks (YEN) for wheat have taken root in Canada and could play an important role in helping increase yields for the cereal crop. Many Ontario growers were first exposed to YEN in 2020 at the SouthWest Agricultural Conference (SWAC). These networks are the brainchild of the research scientists at ADAS, a UK-based independent… Read More
A new board of directors, recently elected for Results Driven Agriculture Research (RDAR), has been announced. In February, representatives from RDAR’s 33 voting member organizations came together to elect its new board of directors, which includes: D’Arcy Hilgartner of Camrose; Fred Lozeman of Claresholm; JP Brouwer of Ponoka; Stanford Blade of Edmonton; Brian Brewin of… Read More
Lakeland College’s “Leading, Learning, The Lakeland Campaign,“ is seeing a significant amount of support for programming and research initiatives focused on agriculture technology. MNP — a national accounting, tax, and business consulting firm for Canadian agriculture — has donated $90,000 to the program, which will help fund equipment for the Agriculture Technology Centre at the Vermillion… Read More
The University of Saskatchewan (USask) has been awarded $6.76 million from the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) to help conserve bison and other threatened animal species. The announcement follows Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s announcement of more than $518 million to support the infrastructure needs of universities and research institutions across the country. The wide-ranging research… Read More
In February of 2016, I witnessed farmers and ranchers unite across the province in passionate protest against the newly introduced Bill 6, the Enhanced Protection for Farm and Ranch Workers Act. We saw protests from farmers like those you see in France including tractor parades, homemade signs, chanting and, to my guilty pleasure, protest pizza…. Read More
Results Driven Agriculture Research (RDAR) has announced the appointment of Dr. Mark Redmond as the chief executive officer, effective March 1, 2021. Dr. Gerald Hauer has been the interim CEO since April 1, 2020, and will assist Redmond during the transition. The RDAR Board of Directors is extending their appreciation to Hauer for his leadership… Read More
Planting a new hybrid that you’ve never dealt with on your farm before can be a tricky situation, as it sometimes can feel like you are rolling the dice. Farming isn’t just a game, it’s a livelihood that we need to be able to make profit off of. However, selecting a new hybrid could end… Read More
A new initiative, launched within the main watershed zones in Manitoba, will further develop technologies and best management practices to give Manitoban farmers tools to adjust to climate change following a major funding injection announced Wednesday. On behalf of Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau, MP for Winnipeg South Centre Jim Carr announced up to $5.9 million for… Read More
Adjusting management or adopting new products or varieties carries some risk, but that risk can be managed with an on-farm evaluation. Setting up on-farm trials, however, can be simple and straight forward — or so complicated it’s hard to know if you really learned anything at all. To navigate on-farm trial pitfalls and successes, this… 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
The Alberta government has been making good on its promises to tighten budgets and revamp how agriculture research is done in the province. Earlier this year, the province announced the Results Driven Agriculture Research program— RDAR — an arms-length government entity that would administer funding and guide agriculture research. Then, last week, approximately 250 Alberta Agriculture… Read More
The Canadian Barley Research Coalition (CRBC) — a collaboration of Alberta Barley, Saskatchewan Barley Development Commission (SaskBarley), and Manitoba Crop Alliance (MCA) formed earlier this year — has committed more than $1.5 million to a barley breeding agreement with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC). The funding, spread over five years, ensures that western Canadian farmers… Read More
Agriculture research and extension in Alberta has been through an incredible few weeks, to say the least. In the last month, several research programs have moved to new institutions and over 250 agriculture-based staff have been let go, as promised in the last provincial budget. The huge changes beg the question: what will provincially-funded agriculture… Read More