With increasing cases of herbicide resistance, machines designed to destroy weed seeds at harvest could be a valuable tool. But like any technology that is not yet widely adopted, there are also some lessons to be learned and challenges to overcome, as researchers with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada confirmed last year. 2017 marked the first… Read more »
Category: CropConnect
Soybean School: Understanding iron deficiency chlorosis risk heading into planting
As planting decisions are finalized, the risk of iron deficiency chlorosis (IDC) is one of the factors soybean growers in Western Canada and the Northern Plains are keeping in mind after unprecedented yellowing due to IDC in many areas last year. A wet 2016 growing season followed by a dry start to 2017, left elevated… Read more »
Soybean School: Preparing to battle SCN when (not if) it is found in Western Canada
Soybean growers in Western Canada have not yet had to face a soil-borne pest that has hurt yields in other soybean growing regions, but it’s only a matter of time. Soybean cyst nematode (SCN) has steadily spread north along the Red River and has been found in soils on at least two farms near the… Read more »
Picking winners and losers in the farm data race
Players are going to start dropping out of the race to be the dominant farm data platform sooner than later, says a cropping systems economist who focuses on farm data analytics at Kansas State University. Right now there are still dozens, maybe hundreds, of participants, with agronomy companies, equipment manufacturers, seed and chemical companies, tech… Read more »
Dry conditions spike herbicide carryover risks
It’s not just herbicides with a persistent nature that can cause injury in the following years if conditions are dry enough. In very dry growing seasons, herbicide actives don’t break down in the soil and will remain there until a rainfall when these still-potent molecules are released back in to the root zone. As Jason… Read more »
What’s real, what’s rumoured — This week in the grain markets
Grain markets were mostly higher this week as weather premiums continues to whip up some bullish activity. Wheat prices led the grain complex lower Friday as traders prepared for the upcoming holiday weekend. The day had started with small gains due to news of harvest delays down in the Brazilian fields. But profit-taking appeared to… Read more »
Simplot announces $460 million potato plant expansion at Portage la Prairie
Simplot announced a $460 million expansion of its potato processing facility at Portage la Prairie, Man. on Wednesday. Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister and Agriculture Minister Ralph Eichler were on hand with J.R. Simplot CEO Bill Whitacre to announce the investment, an expansion that will add nearly 100 jobs to the facility. “Manitoba delivers in so… Read more »
Manitoba Flax Growers moving in with Manitoba Pulse & Soybean Growers
The Manitoba Flax Growers Association (MFGA) has found a new home. The provincial flax organization was previously headquartered in Winnipeg at the Flax Council of Canada’s office, but the Flax Council closed its doors at the end of January. As of March 1, 2018, the provincial flax organization will have its operations and programming administered… Read more »
Creativity is Free: Farm Management Lessons from Disney
“Budgets are always going to be tight, regulatory issues are always going to be confounding, but creativity is free.” Whether we’re talking about employees at Disney or on a North American farm, financial and regulatory constraints will always exist. How businesses perform within those limitations depends on creativity, stresses Doug Lipp, business consultant and author… Read more »
Soybean School: What to Know Before Sowing Off-Patent Soybean Seed
If you grew first-generation Roundup Ready soybeans under contract, saving and trading or re-planting that seed could result in a violation of their contract, says Lorne Hadley, executive director of the Canadian Plant Technology Agency. In 2011, Monsanto’s patent on the first Roundup Ready trait in soybeans expired. Some sellers may be selling or trading soybean… Read more »
Toronto Star Looking for Farming and Food Stories
It almost sounds too good to be true, with farmers often feeling the general public is uninformed and uninterested in agriculture, but urban media outlets are realizing stories about farming and food resonate with their audiences. Whether it’s the ‘wow’ factor, interesting personal stories, great visuals, or top-of-mind topics related to our own health or the environment, agriculture has plenty… Read more »
Survey Aims to Paint a Picture of Precision Ag Adoption in Western Canada
Western Canadian farmers are being asked to participate in a survey analyzing the adoption of precision agriculture tools, as well as the barriers to adoption and innovation, on the prairies. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada has commissioned Lethbridge-area precision agronomist Dale Steele to lead the study. As he explains in the video below, the results will be used… Read more »
Soybean Prices Maintaining Remarkable Strength in Face of Record Crops — John Duvenaud
U.S. farmers grew a record soybean crop in 2016, South American farmers are harvesting a record crop, and big soybean acres are expected in North America in 2017, yet somehow soybean prices have remained relatively strong to start 2017. “We’re about a buck a bushel above where we were at the fall lows, which is… Read more »
Feedback Wanted for Manitoba Farm Group Merger Discussion
The idea that Manitoba’s commodity organizations need to work more closely together to provide more value to members — possibly going as far as merging — was formally introduced and discussed recently at CropConnect. “All these organizations, particularly in Manitoba, have basically the same membership, doing very similar projects, with the same money, going after… Read more »
Drew Lerner Offers a Hopeful Forecast for Spring on the Prairies
With unharvested crop still in the field and saturated soils in many areas, some helpful weather could be on the way for Western Canada this spring, says Drew Lerner of World Weather Inc. “The spring bias is tilted toward a little less precipitation and a slight warmer bias,” he says in the video below, filmed after… Read more »