It was strong demand for oilseed that resulted in a record number of acres of canola being planted in Western Canada this spring. Unfortunately, that record number of acres didn’t translate into a record crop. Weather, disease and other factors gave the Western Canadian canola crop a solid beating this year. The result, as Moe… Read More
Category: Crop Production
If supply and demand is a big part of how ag commodities are priced, it’s understandable why there is some head scratching surrounding the high price of wheat. From the outside it would appear as though there is a lot of wheat around, but as Moe Agostino of Farms.com Risk Management explains it’s not necessarily… Read More
What if there was a way you could get at least 25% more grass out of your pastures with minimal investment? There is — the secret is adding electric fencing and moving your cows more. Jack Kyle, grazier specialist with OMAFRA, says that restricting the cows to smaller pastures and then moving them every day… Read More
First identified in Tennessee in 2008, soybean vein necrosis virus was confirmed just over a week ago in two Ontario counties. Easily confused with general plant stress, Cercospora leaf blight or scald (sunburn), SVNV often begin as light green to yellow patches near the main leaf veins which may enlarge eventually becoming necrotic (brown) areas. … Read More
When you have success, people notice. BASF apparently recognizes the growth and success of Becker Underwood. This morning BASF announced that they have purchased entire global portfolio of Becker Underwood for 1.02 billion dollars. The Press Release states: “We are impressed with Becker Underwood’s ability to translate growers’ needs into innovative, tailor-made solutions that can promote higher yields while conserving resources. Becker… Read More
Whether it’s wet springs or just farmers exploring their options, it appears as though the moldboard plow is making a bit of a comeback. It is though, as Agronomist Pat Lynch explains, not the moldboard plow you knew before. The newer plows are much more adjustable, doing their job much better than their older counterparts…. Read More
The price of corn is something that’s weighing heavy on the minds of producers right now. Not producers only, but everyone affected either directly or indirectly with the crop is wondering where corn will top out and where it’s headed as we look to 2013. In this episode of the Corn School, Moe Agostino of… Read More
As the soybean harvest kicks off in Ontario, farmers are enjoying high prices, but the question is always, for how long? We caught up with Farms.com’s Moe Agostino at Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show last week hot on the heels of the USDA report. His call? We’re at the top of the soybean market, and next… Read More
Blackleg, a fungal disease of canola, is getting away with murder. That’s right, murder. This fall, dead, brittle canola plants at swathing or harvest are being attributed, sometimes very wrongly, to sclerotinia infection when, in fact, blackleg is to blame. It’s likely been happening for years, Clint Jurke, agronomy specialist with the Canola Council of… Read More
Whether you are a fan of QR Codes or not, you have to admit that this is very cool. Kraay Family Farm has officially been informed by the Guinness Book of World Records that they have created the world’s largest QR Code. Based in Lacombe, Alberta, Kraay Family Farm created the QR code to cover a record 309,570 square… Read More
For whatever reason, there are a few agronomy topics that never seem to fully get sorted out — seeding by thousand kernel weight, the right time to spray for wheat midge and what the difference between ESN and Agrotain is, for example. Let’s tackle the last on the list. Here’s a quick reminder of what… Read More
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