Farmers hauling Cargill’s Specialty Canola Oil canola to Clavet, Sask., will soon see new ground being broken for a first-of-its-kind for Canada edible oil refinery, Cargill recently announced. The world-scale canola oil refinery is slated for a 2014-15 open. “(The refinery) represents the first investment of this kind for Cargill in Canada and is one… Read More
Hog production in Western Canada had a rough go this week. First, Big Sky Farms entered receivership — for the second time in less than four years — then, just yesterday, Puratone Corporation filed for creditor protection. It is not a good time to be a hog farmer, with reported losses per hog ranging from… Read More
Western Canadian farmers struggling to feed livestock in the very dry 2002 growing season were helped out by their eastern counterparts when an ad hoc program dubbed “Hay West” sent thousands and thousands of tonnes of hay to those in need. This year, western Canadian farmers are returning the favour with Hay East 2012. Livestock… Read More
The current livestock feeding environment is not sustainable, according to John Oliver. Casualties continue to mount in the hog industry as major producers fall as a result of the high price of corn. The cattle industry is not immune to skyrocketing input costs either, as feedyards deal with the same issues around high commodity prices…. Read More
In the first part of our interview with MAFRI Cereal Specialist Pam de Rocquigny we spoke about some of the critical elements involved in seeding winter wheat: 1. What kind of stubble you’re going to seed into. 2. How deep you should seed. 3. Weed and volunteer crop control. SEE MORE WHEAT SCHOOL. In this… Read More
It seems farming equipment gets bigger and bigger every year, but instead of only striving for bigger, Canada-based Jaylor developed its line of mini TMR mixers to suit any sized operation. From a self-contained mini unit, to a tractor-mounted version or even a pick-up truck ready mixer, Jaylor’s line of mini mixers has a size… Read More
One of the things farmers learn very early is that you can’t control every variable involved in growing your crop, so you should focus on what you can control. When planting winter wheat, there’s no telling what the season will bring, so you focus on making the best choices available to you from the start…. Read More
The western prairies have been described as a sea of canola. Floating somewhere adrift are crops like flax. Crops that are full of potential, but are at risk of falling to more profitable crops like canola and soybeans. Keeping these fringe crops afloat to develop some of that potential means finding better cropping systems. One… Read More
A successful no-till system starts or stops at the combine. This according to Phil Needham of Needham Ag Technologies. As Phil explains, it’s the even spreading of the residue out of the combine that will allow for uniform depth at seeding and uniform emergence as well as other benefits to your crop. SEE MORE WHEAT… Read More
There is pressure building in the halls of Washington to rescind the mandatory ethanol mandates. With tightening supplies of corn creating higher feed prices for livestock producers and higher food costs for consumers, the pressure mounting in Washington is real. To this point though, according to Kevin Grier of the George Morris Center, nothing has changed. Kevin believes that… Read More
Do you remember the story of the little red hen? No one would help her plant the seeds, harvest the grain, grind the grain and bake the bread, but everyone was willing to eat the bread when it was all said and done. That’s a little bit like the story of certified seed. Everyone wants… Read More
As readers have been talking about on RealAgriculture.com, the early canola yields are below expectations. One of the reasons for the lower yields that hasn’t been mentioned is the role that wind has played in some areas. Below is a picture that seems to sum up how frustrating harvest can be sometimes. Pretty hard to… Read More
A young Saskatoon company has received a Canadian registration for Mustgrow Crop Bio-fumigant, a new bio-fungicide made from Canadian mustard seed. While the pesticidal properties of mustard have been known for decades, its use as a commercial pesticide has been limited due to the low and variable concentration of active ingredient in mustard seeds and… Read More
If there is a pattern developing in the 2012 harvest across Western Canada it would have to be the disappointing canola yields. Farmers have taken to Twitter to display there disappointment in the yields. One of the common threads has been, “I have 50 bushel swaths and 25 bushel yields.” With over twenty million acres… Read More
In the last episode of the Wheat School, we spoke with wheat specialist Peter Johnson about some of the problems producers can face when they plant winter wheat early. This time around, Pete offers some advice on how to give that wheat the best possible chance at the point of planting. SEE MORE WHEAT SCHOOL…. Read More
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