Agriculture industry and farm groups are voicing strong concerns about Health Canada’s proposed ban of two neonicotinoid (neonic) crop protection products announced on Wednesday. Citing risk to aquatic insects, such as mayflies and midges, not bees, the federal health department’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) is looking to phase out all agricultural uses of thiamethoxam… Read more »
Category: Podcasts
RealAg Radio, August 16: Proposed neonic ban impact, 4R benefits & the Bayer/Monsanto wall comes down
On Thursday’s show, with host Shaun Haney: Top ag news, including details on Health Canada’s proposal to ban two more neonics and the impact, the wall coming down between Bayer and Monsanto, new research looking at benefits of 4R nutrient practices, awards handed out at the Canadian Beef Industry Conference, and more. Product spotlight —… Read more »
Understanding the legal implications of the California jury decision on glyphosate
Glyphosate — commonly known as Roundup — suffered a blow in the court of public opinion following a California jury decision last week, but the actual legal implications of the verdict are still to be determined in court. The jury found Monsanto liable in a case where former school groundskeeper Dewayne Johnson alleges exposure to… Read more »
Pulse Canada working to establish predictability in trade with India
India was the guest that was notable by its absence at the recent Pulse and Special Crops Convention at Regina. The country has pulled back substantially from the pulse market and, although there were few attendees from that area of world, India was mentioned often from the stage and in the corridors. Dale Leftwich had… Read more »
Saskatchewan farmer invites politicians to ride in the buddy seat
Megz Reynolds, a grain farmer from near Kyle, Saskatchewan, took inspiration from her colleagues overseas and decided to open the combine door to politicians of every stripe and level of government. The standing invite is, she says, about having meaningful conversations about how food is grown and to build understanding about what it takes to… Read more »
PAMI takes bin sensors to a whole new level
When bin sensors first came along it was a huge improvement over simply shoving a metal rod through the bin door in some ways. Because sensors are tethered though, you still end up with a linear — rather than a randomly distributed —set of measurements. This means you are not actually measuring a good portion… Read more »
RealAg Radio, August 15: Neonic phase-out proposal, hog markets, & the Canadian Beef Industry Conference
On Wednesday’s show, with host Kelvin Heppner: Ontario field editor Lyndsey Smith joins Kelvin to discuss today’s news, including Health Canada’s proposed decision to ban two of the main neonicotinoid insecticides used in Canadian agriculture, as well as the latest on court rulings around glyphosate Jim Wood, chief sales and operating officer with Rocky Mountain… Read more »
Diverse, with high value: a look at B.C’s evolving agriculture sector
While the total land area isn’t necessarily the largest in Canada, B.C.’s agriculture industry tops the list when it comes to diversity and total economic impact, depending on the sector. RealAgriculture founder Shaun Haney recently got a chance to interview the Honourable Lana Popham, British Columbia’s agriculture minister. The conversation is a part of RealAgriculture’s… Read more »
Wheat Pete’s Word, Aug 15: Corn disease risks, a sudden potash deficiency, and cloudy conditions
As the summer days stretch and the forest fire smoke settles in over huge areas of the country, farmers are wrapping up wheat harvest in the east and starting harvest in earnest in the west. Late-season agronomy typically centres on harvest management, but diseases and insects are still lurking, especially in the corn crop. In… Read more »
Wheat School: How do we fund wheat research?
Over the last decade, the average yield increase for corn tips the scale at five bushels per acre, per year. During the same period wheat yield gains have averaged a meagre one bushel per acre, per year. What is the future of wheat if it can’t match the yield gains of crops like corn and… Read more »
RealAg Radio, Aug 14: Replacing equipment, glyphosate verdict implications, & beef demand in China
On Tuesday’s show, with Shaun Haney and Kelvin Heppner: Top ag news, including welcome news for the hemp industry, new export data, and the possibility of a supply management resolution at Conservative Party’s upcoming annual convention Roger McEowen, Kansas Farm Bureau Professor of Agricultural Law and Taxation at Washburn University School of Law, discusses the implications… Read more »
Veteran agri-coach Elston Solberg encourages young agronomists to ‘think like a plant’
Agriculture has a knack for keeping you humble. Just when you figure one thing out, you realize behind every door there is an entire room of unknowns. Sure Growth Technologies recently had their field day at Aberhart Farms, just north of Marchwell, SK. One of the presenters was Elston Solberg, currently a senior agri-coach with… Read more »
Be cautious when buying in hay, says forage specialist
If you’re running low on forage, chances are you might already be starting to look for hay suppliers outside of your area. Terry Kowalchuk, forage specialist for the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture, says you have to be conscious of who you buy from, so that you do not get more than you bargained for. He… Read more »
Corn School: Will double-cob corn deliver bonus yield?
If you’re seeing double in your corn crop this year, you’re not seeing things. Double-cob stalks are showing up in many fields this season and farmers want to know — will these bonus cobs amount to anything, and why are they even there? Those are two questions Steph Kowalski, agronomy lead for the Agromart Group,… Read more »
RealAg Radio, Aug 13: Glyphosate court decision, insect pests, & inviting politicians to ride along during harvest
On Monday’s edition of RealAg Radio, with host Shaun Haney: Today’s ag news, with Kelvin Heppner — a California jury has awarded $289 million in damages to a man who alleges Roundup herbicide caused his cancer Marijke Van Andel of Syngenta on the importance of final plant stand counts in soybeans Deb Campbell of Agronomy… Read more »