Market turmoil has always been something that producers have had to deal with, but increasingly, one of the only characteristics of the markets you count on is the instability of the markets. As analyst John DePutter put it, ” Volatility is a fact of life in the markets.” Those ups and downs have become more… Read More
Planting early is almost always a good idea. There are aspects and elements that we can’t control like the weather that tend to throw the best laid plans out the window, but in general, the theory is simple. The soybean plant is a factory that produces soybeans. That factory runs primarily on sunlight. The more… Read More
In this episode of the Corn School we continue our series with agronomist Darel Walker about the key factors in the pursuit of 300 bushel corn. In the first episode of the series we looked at soil tilth as one of those factors; in this episode we look to proper nitrogen application as another piece… Read More
by Kent Erickson and Lynn Jacobson In the past 150 years, wheat has played a significant role in the settlement of the Canadian prairies and the development of Western Canadian agriculture. Canada became the “bread basket of the world” because of the quality and quantity of wheat it supplied to countries around the globe. In… Read More
As far as cover crops go, red clover is a no-brainer. That according to OMAFRA wheat specialist Peter Johnson. It’s a statement that seems to be backed up by a lot of facts. The first being its ability to provide ample amounts of nitrogen and organic matter to the soil. A good stand of red… Read More
In this episode of the Corn School we talk with OMAFRA Corn Specialist Greg Stewart talks about the 4 year project undertaken to look at the benefits of starter fertilizer on corn. The study looked at all manner of formulations, applications and combinations. The major conclusion of the study showed the importance of potash levels… Read More
The pulse industry across Canada is looking at an aggressive growth strategy in the coming years. The Saskatchewan Pulse Growers Association in particular have targeted a major expansion in acres by 2025 and they’re not the only province looking to grow. Alberta as well has some very aggressive thoughts on what may happens to pulse… Read More
Considering some of the conditions during planting last year, the provincial average yield for soybeans was fairly impressive. If we can get 45 bushels last year, what is the real long term potential of soybean yields? What factors can we look at to bump those yields even higher. It has been reported that a grower… Read More
Assessing risk is a crucial part of any producer’s pest control strategy. If you don’t know what to look for or how to look for it, you are setting yourself up for some potentially costly problems. That risk assessment starts with a good knowledge of the previous year including hotspots for activity, and overall movement… Read More
Federal Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz was in attendance at FarmTech in Edmonton. He spoke to the 1600 attendees about the huge aoportunities in Canadian agriculture. Of course of one the topics was the upcoming changes to the marketing sytsem for wheat and barley coming August 1, 2012 in Western Canada. There were a number of questions put… Read More
This years Crop Production Week had a number of high-clearance sprayers from multiple companies being showcased on the tradeshow floor. We looked at a few of those sprayers already. In this segment, we turn our sites on AGCO‘s 2012 Rogator high-clearance sprayer. Some of the new features of this sprayer are visible from the outside,… Read More
The Canadian pulse industry has room to grow, a lot of room. The Saskatchewan Pulse Growers Association has targeted growth of 7 million acres by the year 2025. As aggressive as that may seem, Executive Director of the organization Carl Potts says it is achievable for a number of reasons. One of the first of… Read More
In order for the pulse industry to grow in Canada, a number of areas have to be looked at. One of those areas is market development. The world’s food needs are growing and changing. New markets are opening up as a middle class emerges in areas of the developing world. Those people have specific end-use… Read More
We talked before about the spirit of invention and innovation that’s prevalent among Saskatchewan farmers. It seems as though they’re always tinkering with something in the shop or modifying something they bought. I don’t know if it’s long winters with nothing else to do or a lack of equipment or machinery that really suits their… Read More
The last time we spoke to Patrick Crampton, we talked about Agrisoma’s research and development of the carinata plant in the area of biofuels. The plant is very similar to canola, but with an industrial oil profile suited well to diesel and jet fuel usage. The agronomics are very similar to canola in the fact… Read More
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