During the annual CropSphere conference held at Saskatoon, Sask., Prairie barley commissions announced the formation of the Canadian Barley Research Coalition (CBRC). The national not-for-profit organization will facilitate long-term investments aimed at improving profitability and competitiveness for Western Canadian barley farmers, according to a news release. The CBRC is made up of the Saskatchewan Barley… Read More
Category: CropSphere
Things are looking up for the barley market. That’s the message from the SaskBarley annual general meeting held recently during CropSphere at Saskatoon, Sask. “I think the industry has never been stronger. We’re seeing huge exports on the feed side going into China, we’re strengthening in the malt side, both domestically and globally, and we’ve… Read More
Although the wheat market is often considered a stagnant one, it is in fact growing, says Marlene Boersch, owner of Mercantile Consulting Ventures. The market only seems stagnant because supplies have been growing as fast as demand. This may be changing, however, as Russia’s — one of the world’s largest wheat exporters — upward trend in production may… Read More
Katie Dilse has infectious enthusiasm that can easily get a room full of people engaged. She’s a farmer, a truck driver, and lives in the least populated county in the United States, so you might not think public speaking would also be added to her long list of duties. But once a person listens, and can… Read More
What a difference a couple of years make. It was not that long ago Saskatchewan Pulse Growers (SaskPulse) was sitting on a $30 million surplus and the projection was for the surplus to just get bigger and bigger. Now, after what may have been the most disruptive year in Saskatchewan’s pulse growing history, reducing the… Read More
Over eight hundred people crowded into TCU Place at the end of CropSphere to have an informal consultation on impending changes to Canada’s seed royalty structure. Usually, the end of a conference is marked by a thinning crowd as the last speaker takes the stage, but not this time, as the last item on the… Read More
When the RealAgriculture team attends major events, such as Crop Week in Saskatoon, we like to get together and compare some notes on the event. Sometimes we do a wrap up, and sometimes we make lists, because who doesn’t like a good list? This week Shaun, Jessika, and Dale were all in Saskatoon to take… Read More
The Saskatchewan Canola Development Commission (SaskCanola) awarded Zenneth Faye its Canola Influencer Award earlier this week at the commission’s annual general meeting. Faye is being recognized for his pioneering work in Saskatchewan farm organizations and value-added industries. He served on the commission’s board and the board of the Saskatchewan Canola Growers Association in its early days. He… Read More
According to Michael Landsberg, when he first went to his family doctor about his depression the doctor said, in effect, “You’re ok, I see you on television.” Many people make the same mistake that the doctor did. That’s because you can’t diagnose mental illness with an Xray or a thermometer. Landsberg, a former sports broadcaster… Read More
Agriculture minister Lawrence MacAulay attended CropSphere at Saskatoon, Sask., on Tuesday where he announced funding for four new science clusters. The clusters will represent barley, wheat, diverse field crops, and soybean, and are funded under the Canadian Agricultural Partnership (CAP). The federal government will invest $39.3 million and along with $28.4 million in contributions from… Read More
Canada’s regulator for crop protection products is facing a growing stack of re-evaluations for existing pesticide ingredients. There are several hundred active ingredients due for review by Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) in the next decade. CropLife Canada — the organization that represents manufacturers of some of these products — has several concerns… Read More
While yield and lodging attributes will always be critical, pulse crop breeders have placed a high priority on root rot resistance in recent years, and are increasingly focused on the nutritional profile of new pea, lentil and chickpea varieties. Tom Warkentin, pulse breeder at the Crop Development Centre at Saskatoon, joins us for this Pulse… Read More
You’ve likely done some tasks on the farm so many times you could do them in your sleep, and maybe even have when the days get too long. There are jobs on the farm that are inherently risky, too, but if you’ve done them enough times, you don’t need to worry about the hazards, right?… Read More
Regulations, by their nature, are country or region specific, but they can have spillover effects into other markets. This is the case with many crop protection products between trading partners — a ban or restriction in one region can have trickle-down impacts on use and even access in another. Many North American farmers have been… Read More
Oat futures have climbed more than 30 cents a bushel since the start of the new year, raising the question: will more acres switch from wheat to oats? As of Wednesday, nearby and new crop oat futures in Chicago were in the 42 to 45 percent range relative to Minneapolis wheat. The flatter, quieter spot… Read More