Owning the latest and greatest technology is great, but actually using it to its full potential is what makes the cost worthwhile. When that involves your iPhone, it’s understandable that some apps amount to bells and whistles, but when the technology sits inside your tractor cab, having the latest and greatest needs to earn its… Read More
The last time a novel biotech trait event for Western Canada was rolled out, the Winnipeg Jets were headed to Phoenix, Arizona, much to the sadness of many a Winnipegger. But now, it’s 2013 and the Jets are set to play once again after a long delay (thanks, lockout!), and a brand new herbicide resistance… Read More
I am attending CropWeek 2013 in Saskatoon this week which always involves some great discussions in the sessions and the hallway. I had a grain /seed industry insider ask me a really interesting question today. “Do we really need to re-create the wheel with wheat? Does wheat royalty collection for research really need to be… Read More
The 2012 drought that hit Ontario producers hard, hit Indiana farmers even harder. So hard in fact that it was one of the worst yielding crop years on record. That number being relative to what’s expected given technology and management practices of the time. Needless to say, that puts drought tolerance as an issue that’s… 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 Canadian Grain Commission recently released a summary of the feedback it received regarding impending changes to its user fee system. Industry stakeholders, including farmers, were asked to submit their questions, critiques and suggestions for changes to the not only the user fees, but also changes to the Canada Grains Act. Generally, there seems to… Read More
There are several ways to measure the costs and benefits of crop rotations. Weed population changes, soil organic matter building or depleting, yield bumps or total energy used are all different ways of gauging the relative advantages of different rotations. Dr. Perry Miller, professor at the University of Montana, has done extensive work into crop… Read More
In part 1 of our conversation with Dr. Hugh Earl of the University of Guelph he talked about the impact water stress can have on soybean yields. That study suggested that at some point during a number of growing seasons, even if rainfall was adequate, some yield was being lost to water stress. One of… Read More
It can seem like an efficient way to solve two problems at once — add an insecticide in with the fungicide on canola and, voila, all your pest troubles go away. But not so fast. While applying an insecticide when pest insect levels are at or above threshold may be the right move, adding an… Read More
If ever we needed a new curse word, let me humbly suggest kochia. If you thought it was tough to kill before, it’s quickly becoming even more difficult. As Clark Brenzil, provincial weed specialist with Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture, explains, not only should kochia be taken off the label of every Group 2 herbicide, it’s… Read More
It sounds a little out there — plants talking to each other, warning them to arm themselves against predators and biotic stress, but it’s real. The research into plant communication is actually decades old, but for some time it was largely ignored by the research community. That is, until now. Rob Saik, president of the… Read More
There’s generally always enough moisture metered out through the growing season to finish the soybean crop, but soybeans can soak up a lot of water and translate that into yield if it’s there. But by how much? What are we really losing to drought stress? Dr. Hugh Earl of the University of Guelph and colleagues… Read More
Ever wonder what the Canola Council of Canada does and who is involved? RealAgriculture.com caught up with Patti Miller, president of the council, to ask her those questions and many more. For example, 2012 was in some ways a fantastic year for the crop — a huge number of acres went in and planned crush… Read More
Proper tank clean-out is a key aspect of avoiding herbicide injury, but the waste water created from tank cleaning needs to be handled responsibly to avoid unwanted plant injury or water contamination. Using a biobed — essentially a clay-lined, dedicated area rich in microbes where tank water is emptied for further degradation by microbes —… Read More
Steve Laroque is starting to see some significant differences on his farm north of Drumheller, Alta., after three consecutive years of practicing controlled traffic farming. After learning some hard lessons in the first few seasons — their measurements were off when setting up a hitch for inter-row seeding — 2012 offered a glimpse at some… Read More
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