Are Ontario cash crop growers making effective use of tissue testing to enhance yield and crop performance? The answer requires a little perspective says Jack Legg, agronomist with Guelph-based SGS Agri-food Laboratories. Tissue testing, which provides an accurate measurement of the nutrients within a plant at a given time, has traditionally been used to confirm… Read More
Grain markets ended the first full week of trading in 2020 mostly higher as the complex ignored some of the bearish data that the USDA presented in their monthly data dump, and instead, focused on the trade war deal expected to be signed by China and the U.S. next week. The main reason grain markets… Read More
Alberta’s Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry has come out with its grasshopper outlook for the upcoming farming season, and indications are that populations could put serious pressure on growing crops. The 2020 grasshopper forecast map is based on adult grasshopper counts conducted in early August 2019 by participating agriculture fieldmen across the province. This year’s… Read More
With spring less than three months away, Nufarm Agriculture Inc. has unveiled its new post-emergent grass weed herbicide — Epic. The product contains pinoxaden, for spring wheat, durum wheat, and barley, and can be used as an option for the selective control of wild oats, green and yellow foxtail, Persian darnel, volunteer oats, volunteer canary… Read More
At the Pennsylvania Farm Show, New Holland announced a formal partnership with the National Hemp Association (NHA), a non-partisan hemp advocacy group. The partnership, which will operate under the banner “Pushing Progress Together”, plans to accelerate the return of hemp commodity crops on farms across North America. Brett Davis, vice president of New Holland North… Read More
It’s a new year, and we’re back with the first Wheat Pete’s Word of the decade! Peter Johnson, host of Wheat Pete’s Word, says that although we are only eight days in, 2020 is already roaring ahead steadily. The mantra for 2020 according to Wheat Pete is “perfect vision.” If we can see clearly, we’ll… Read More
By now you’ve most likely seen the new seed green and white CLAAS Lexion combines that were launched in North America last year. The traditional colours offer CLAAS users a sense of nostalgia, the company says, while unifying branding. But as Eric Raby of Claas explains to RealAgriculture’s Shaun Haney at Agritechnica 2019, there are… Read More
Did you know that around 70 per cent of Canada’s beef exports go to the United States? Depending that much on one market means that if there is ever an issue with the United States border crossing (hello, BSE crisis), Canadian export options become slimmer than we’d like them to be. This is why Ellen… Read More
The Canadian Seed Trade Association (CSTA) wasted no time in filling the recently vacated role of executive director. Tyler McCann has been chosen by the board of directors to fill the position on an interim basis, replacing Dave Carey. “CSTA is pleased to welcome Tyler McCann as interim executive director,” says Georges Chaussé, president of… Read More
The Canadian Grain Commission (CGC) says that producers who were not paid for grain delivered to ILTA Grain Inc. will be 100 per cent compensated through the CGC’s Safeguards for Grain Farmers Program. The grain company was granted creditor protection under the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act (CCAA) in July of 2019. “The Canadian Grain Commission… Read More
With no restrictions, spending $153 million seems easy. But when the task at hand is to leverage that $153 million into leap-frogging an entire industry forward, knowing where to commit that cash becomes much more complicated. Bill Greuel, CEO of Protein Industries Canada, is tasked with ensuring the federal Protein Supercluster funding is invested prudently… Read More
Despite a bit of a sell-off on Friday, January 3rd, grain markets are starting 2020 strong, as trade deals buzz and strong export activity are fueling higher prices in a shortened trading week. Also weighing on the markets is the boatload of data that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is going to release… Read More
The Food and Agriculture Organizations (FAO) of the United Nations has declared 2020 the International Year of Plant Health (IYPH), and it’s looking for relevant human-interest stories. Calling it a once in a lifetime opportunity to “raise global awareness on how protecting plant health can help end hunger, reduce poverty, protect biodiversity and the environment,… Read More
Doing the best job possible at seeding pays dividends throughout the year, but is planter-precision necessary for top canola yield? That’s just one question research is trying to answer, not only on a trial basis but at a field level as well. Ken Coles, general manager of Farming Smarter, says it’s not always possible to… Read More
The battle against weeds puts farmer against nature’s innate ability to adapt and overcome. The advent of herbicides tipped the odds in farmers’ favour for a time, but only until several weed species developed — and continue to develop — resistance. Dr. Hugh Beckie, a former weed scientist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, is now… Read More