2013 was a big year for western Canadian cereal crops, and with big yield can come big problems with toppling over. Lodging risk is a complicated mixture of genetics, a nutrient imbalance, nutrient deficiency, improper seeding rate or a combination of these factors. Having all those things in check is key, but if you still… Read More
Category: Barley
Cereals Canada, a multi-stakeholder, multi-commodity organization, with a goal of enhancing the domestic and international competitiveness of Canadian cereals was recently formed out of the Cereals Council of Canada Working Group. This committee of industry stakeholders came together in 2012 to address the growing national and international interest in cereals. Modeled after other highly successful… Read More
A frost in mid-September isn’t unexpected, but the damage caused varies widely, depending on a number of factors. Just because the temperatures dip doesn’t mean that your immature crop is a write-off. Crop type, maturity and length of time the temp sat below freezing all play a role in the final damage done. The first… Read More
Today marks one year since the CWB was stripped of its monopoly. This climax of, oh, 40 years (or more?) of bickering between those for and against the monopoly was a great day for many, but also rather anti-climatic. As RealAgriculture.com shared then, August 1, 2012 dawned with no earthquakes, riots in the streets or… Read More
Have you ever walked around a farm show and thought, “If only I had the money.” We put that question, and a few others, to a group of farmers we bribed with t-shirts asked to participate in the latest installment of Talking to Farmers.Watch the video below to hear about how often these farmers trade… Read More
A total of 28 research projects focused on expanding or improving barley’s use as feed, food and malt will receive funding under a new Barley National Research Cluster, spearheaded by the Alberta Barley Commission. Newly re-appointed federal agriculture minister Gerry Ritz was on hand last week to make the $8 million announcement. “This is a… Read More
There are times when high quality high just isn’t in the cards. In fact, sometimes the weather makes even attaining low quality hay nearly impossible. It’s times like these that some farmers choose to turn too-wet hay into silage or haylage. The downside there, however, is that quality has already been lost — had you… Read More
It’s that time of year where we transition from killing weeds to protecting our crops from diseases. Growing conditions across much of Western Canada have been good, with adequate moisture (to too much moisture!) and warm temperatures; this is excellent for the crops, but also creates a conducive environment for diseases to thrive. Scouting: As… Read More
The new Barley Council of Canada gets it: research and innovation, that’s what makes a difference to farmers.The Calgary-based council, formally incorporated last month, lists research and innovation at the front of its top five priorities. Others include best crop production practices, market development, market access and (I especially like this one) communication within the… Read More
Seeding and planting across Canada has not got off to a leaping start in 2013. In the prairies it was snowing as late as yesterday while Ontario growers have been fighting their own version of poor spring planting conditions. See this weeks US pictures of #plant13 It seems to that kind of year when you can go… Read More
Statistics Canada released its first seeding intentions report for March 31, 2013 this morning. Corn, wheat and oats were given the biggest nod to acreage bumps, however, this survey was conducted to April 3 when farmers still expected spring to arrive before May. Corn acres are estimated at 2.3 million for Ontario, an increase of… Read More
The Barley Council of Canada (BCC) was formally incorporated today, according to a press release. The first of its kind in Canada, the council will speak on behalf of barley industry members and farmers. “This is the first time in history the entire value chain has been brought together from coast to coast on a… Read More
In part one of this cereal seeding piece, I discussed a few important things to keep in mind before letting the drills hit the dirt. It included the importance of starting with quality seed that has been tested and applying a registered seed treatment along with a properly done thousand kernel weight assessment to target… Read More
If there’s two things I learned from the GIJOE cartoons in the eighties it’s that 1) GIJOE must have a strict catch and release policy because I don’t recall any members of COBRA being killed and they come back every week. 2) Knowing is half the battle!(they said it at the end of every episode)… Read More
The Western Grains Research Foundation is reminding farmers that the federal government annually provides a Scientific Research and Experimental Development (SR&ED) tax credit to producers offering them a tax credit on their check-off investments. The tax credit percentage for producers who contributed to the Wheat and Barley Check-off, administered by the Western Grains Research Foundation… Read More