The most important pass a farmer makes every year is the one with the seeder. There’s no way to add yield or plants if you make a big mistake on that first pass — no amount of fungicide, herbicide or specialty product is going to come to the rescue. But seeding conditions in Western Canada… Read More
Category: Barley
The world almost ended twice in 2012. Farmers had to beware of the Mayan calendar but also earlier in the year the CWB officially lost it’s monopoly on the sale of wheat in Canada. Some people predicted armageddon, while others believed that the benefits were huge. Chuck Penner, LeftField Commodity Research talked to me on… Read More
Any way you look at it, 90 million dollars is a lot of money. That’s the amount the Western Grains Research Foundation has accrued over the years due to the railways exceeding their revenue cap. That’s sad news for farmers who paid much more than they should have for transport, but the good news is… Read More
The world is a much smaller place than it ever was. When it comes to areas like feed grains, what was once a very localized trade is now increasingly international. That requires a new level of international awareness for producers, especially in times marked by historic highs and increasingly tight supplies. So what should we… Read More
The optimism cattle producers started off 2012 with has become a little less broad and a little more cautious as 2012 starts to wind down. High commodity prices, a brutal US drought and high replacement costs among other factors have really dampened the high enthusiasm seen at the beginning of the year. It was February… Read More
Many of the typical downgrading threats at harvest were a non-issue this year. There were no early frosts and very little rain to stain and sprout kernels. As such, much of the 2012 crop is testing very well with high germination rates and low weathering. The news is not all good, however, as extremely hot… Read More
Harvest is a great time to grab a sample of grain and have it tested for germination and disease levels. Harvest is also the easiest (and warmest) time to get a representative sample, as you can sample as you fill bins. The sooner you know some basic quality parameters the better, as poor germ or… Read More
After a chemical manufacturer discovers a new crop protection chemical family, the normal response within the industry is to focus research on better versions of the same chemistry. This typically results in several new brands being launched, each claiming to be slightly better than the last. This seems to be the case with DuPont’s new… Read More
I was combing through my Twitter feed last night and thought that it felt a little like Y2K — would the stroke of midnight bring certain doom as many monopoly supporters would have had us believe or would the sun rise, just like any other day? Of course, today — the first day of the… Read More
The US drought is capturing the attention of many people. One of the groups that is majorly impacted by the drought but has been lost in this meteorological drama is the beef industry. The US drought is playing a major role in the decision making of some beef producers and feedyards heading into the fall… Read More
Canada’s Farm Progress Show was a great opportunity to connect with farmers throughout Saskatchewan, across the west and beyond. As we do at most farm shows we decided to hit the grounds and talk to some of those farmers and ask a number of different questions. This time around, we asked farmers about the state… Read More
The StatsCan June 2012 Acreage report was released yesterday and the surprises were limited but instead firmer confirmation of the 2012 seeding choices of farmers. Lentils were higher than expected, canola acres are above 20 million acres and barley has sprung back to higher levels than two years ago. Jon Driedger. FarmLink Marketing Solutions talked with… Read More
Risk management is the new reality of every feed yard owner and livestock producer. Forward buying your feed barley or corn can really pay off in a rising market. Its just too bad that it is so difficult to try and decipher which direction this market is heading in the next 120 days. At Canada’s… Read More
There is a growing concern from farmers and the industry to herbicide resistance. Whether its giant ragweed or kochia, hebicide resistance is a challenge for farmers. Currently, there is 8 different herbicide groups with confirmed resistance. According to Michael Schaad, Eastern Business Manager, BASF Canada, Glyphosate resistance was first found in the mid 90’s… Read More
I have written before that the future is in seed treatments and fungicides for the traditional crop protection companies. The additional point that I should of included is the growth potential for the biological market in the seed treatment product area. The interesting point is that biologicals are designed to work in conjunction (stacking) with… Read More