Canada has a stellar grain safety record and reputation, but the president of Cereals Canada believes there needs to be more awareness of one specific mycotoxin that can show up after the crop is in the bin: ochratoxin A, or OTA. OTA is a potent toxin produced by fungus in storage. It’s considered to be… Read More
Cereal variety trials typically give researchers great insight into yield, disease tolerance, standability and a host of management considerations to help growers pick the right variety for their fields. In this year’s Ontario Spring Cereal Performance Trials, researchers are also getting a good look at the impact herbicide choices can have on cereals. In this… Read More
As harvest begins, the goal is always to get the crop off in the condition that maximizes its value to buyers. In the case of malt barley, there’s a list of specs that maltsters are looking at, starting with protein level and kernel plumpness, explains Kevin Sich, supply chain director for Rahr Malting at Alix,… Read More
Pam de Rocquigny, is the newly minted general manager of both the Manitoba Corn Growers Association and the Manitoba Wheat & Barley Growers Association, the first time the groups have hired joint management for the groups. The former provincial cereal specialist spoke with Kelvin Heppner at the recent CropConnect conference to discuss the transition from… Read More
Malt barley has become a specialty crop over the years, grown by farmers who specialize in consistently ‘making malt’. Scott Keller of New Norway, Alta., and Wade McAllister of Innisfail, Alta. are two of those farmers. After participating in a malt barley panel discussion at FarmTech ’17, they dropped by to discuss their not-so-secret formula for… Read More
Can we push feed and even malt barley varieties to sky-high yields? Steve Larocque, of Beyond Agronomy, has completed a four-year field trial that says yes, but there’s a catch. Inspired by what he saw on a 2010 trip to New Zealand, where feed barley averaged 207 to 210 bushels per acre, Larocque started digging… Read More
Wheat and barley growers across North America have been waiting for advancements in breeding techniques to make the crop types more competitive with corn, soybeans, and canola. At the recent Montana Grain Growers Association convention in Great Falls, Shaun talked to Dr. Hikmet Budak about a new advancement in plant breeding that really excited the crowd… Read More
Despite a tough year, there are reports of Ontario elevators running at full capacity or right full. Some farmers are reporting a record wheat and soybean year, which explains the full delivery points, but as harvest winds down many farmers will be happy with average, at best. That’s where we start with this week’s Wheat Pete’s Word,… Read More
The Canadian Malting Barley Technical Centre (CMBTC) has announced, Chinese company Yantai Hyaline Malting Co., Ltd. as a new member. Hyaline Malting is the third company from China to join the CMBTC in the last three years, says the CMBTC. China is an important market for Canadian malt barley, as, in 2015/16, China’s malt barley purchases were… Read More
Corn may be king in the grain world, but does it reign supreme in the silage world, too? The short answer: yes. When it comes to both silage yield and quality, plus digestibility, palatability, and energy density, corn comes out on top vs. barley, says Nicole Rasmussen, with DuPont Pioneer, in this Beef School episode…. Read More
The Field Crop Development Centre (FCDC) and Lacombe Research and Development Centre hosted Lacombe Field Day on July 27 to showcase some of the work happening in central Alberta. And, for Flavio Capettini, head of research at FCDC, some of this year’s excitement centres around a recently released barley variety. “We just released TR13609 — it’s a… Read More
Syngenta has announced plans to bring the first three-mode-of-action foliar fungicide to farmers in Eastern Canada this spring. Trivapro features three active ingredients, including one new active — azoxystrobin (Quadris – Group 11), propiconazole (Tilt – Group 3), and benzovindiflupyr (Group 7 SDHI), known as Solatenol. Solatenol was approved for use on corn, soybeans and… Read More
Barley is a staple of the summer countryside in many parts of Western Canada. Whether it’s Alberta beef or a cold Big Rock Traditional Ale, barley plays a major role in the value chain of food and beer production in the west. Even with all those tasty benefits of barley production, barley acres are under… Read More
Wheat and barley grower organizations from across Western Canada are trying to figure out how to move forward with farmer involvement in variety development. The transitional Western Canadian wheat and barley check-offs implemented by the federal government with the end of the Canadian Wheat Board’s monopoly in 2012 are set to expire in 2017. The majority… Read More
If malt barley is in your crop plan for 2016, the Canadian Malting Barley Technical Centre has issued its list of recommended varieties for the 2016-17 year based on market demand. The list (find it here) is compiled by the CMBTC’s members, which include grain companies, seed companies, maltsters, brewers and government ag departments. CDC… Read More