The 2016 harvest seems difficult to forget but it’s time to forget and focus on the spring that lies ahead. It’s bitterly cold across the west this week so it’s hard to think about spring weather, but for anyone that has crop left out in the field you are definitely hoping for an open, dry… Read More
Category: CropSphere
Fear is often based in misunderstanding — no one wants to be seen a fool, or, worse yet, no one wants to make a mistake. Our information-saturated worlds have collided with a new-found interest in food and health at a time when the average consumer doesn’t have a strong understanding of science and chemistry. This… Read More
Damian Mason is a professional speaker, writer and farm owner who believes farmers should treat their operation like the profession it is. “I want them to stand up for themselves, I want them to be prideful in what they do and where they’re from, I want them to treat it as a profession,” Mason told RealAgriculture’s… Read More
The hangover of 2014’s long, drawn out, wet harvest has already taken a toll on seed supplies of certain crop types for 2015, says Holly Gelech, Biovision Seed Lab’s business development manager. The full fallout, however, has likely not been realized. “Farmers did a great job this fall getting seed samples in early,” says Gelech,… Read More
Concerned about soil compaction? You’re not alone. Soil structure and health is increasingly on farmers’ radars for very good reason — the more researchers uncover about soil, the more links we have connecting soil quality to everything from crop yield, to nutrient run-off risks and erosion problems. The unfortunate thing about compaction, says Jodi DeJong-Hughes,… Read More
As part of TWORA for January 15th (yeah — it’s the middle of January already!), Lyndsey denies stealing a megaphone from a plane in Saskatoon and shares some highlights from her time at CropSphere. This week’s podcast also touches on the record shipping year for the St. Lawrence Seaway, fines levied against CN and CP Rail… Read More
The Canadian canola industry’s goal of 26 million tonnes of sustainable production by 2025 got a $19 million boost today with a joint federal and industry funding announcement made during CropSphere 2015. Federal agriculture minister Gerry Ritz was on hand at Saskatoon, Sask., to announce $9.5 million of funding aimed at further market development and continued… Read More
If Ottawa squandered $870,000 on some meaningless or questionable initiative, media and other critics would climb down politicians’ throats. But when it decides to do something good for farmers, for the nation and even for the world with that amount of money – such as Tuesday’s funding announcement for research into what are called “pulse”… Read More
More than $10 million in government and producer funding for crop-related research was announced during the CropSphere meetings in Saskatoon on Tuesday. After announcing $3.3 million for Pulse Canada’s marketing efforts, Federal Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz joined Saskatchewan Ag Minister Lyle Stewart to pledge almost $6.9 million for 42 crop research projects through the Saskatchewan Agriculture Development Fund (ADF)…. Read More
The Pulse Promoter of the Year is an award given annually to celebrate the contributions of an individual in Canada’s pulse industry. On Monday, at Saskatoon’s CropSphere, the Saskatchewan Pulse Growers (SPG) and BASF Canada announced Ed Seidle as the 2014 recipient. “With more than 60 years of successful pedigreed seed production and 25 years of crop… Read More
Today, in Saskatatoon, Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz announced that Pulse Canada will receive an investment of over $3.3 million for projects addressing sustainability, pulse demand and trade. “This Government remains committed to the economy, and our hard-working pulse growers play a vital role in creating jobs and keeping our economy strong.,” said Ritz. “We are… Read More
Have you met someone with a degree from the University of Google? Perhaps you’ve even boasted those credentials when arguing your case over a contentious issue about food or agriculture. But if you’re frustrated that everyone is suddenly an expert on science without actually understanding it, this isn’t a new phenomenon. Dr. Joe Schwarcz, director… Read More
We’re staring down the barrel of the dreaded New Year’s Resolutions — you know, where you swear off treats, chocolate, booze and anything else fun hoping to whittle a few pounds off the midsection. Of course, if you’re like most people, you probably did the exact same thing last year, to no avail. The reasons… Read More
To many farmers, seed treatment is not an input worth questioning (check out Shane Thomas’ Three Reasons You Must Treat Your Seed), and as farms grow, it’s likely that the size and capacity of seed treaters will increase as well. Related: Serfas Farms Steps Up Seed Treating with the USC LP2000 In this video, Kaitlyn Dirkson of… Read More
The Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture’s insect surveys and forecasts have been published online and Scott Hartley, provincial entomologist, was on hand at Saskatoon’s CropSphere to summarize some of the findings. In the video below, RealAgriculture’s Lyndsey Smith speaks to Hartley about three of Saskatchewan’s most revered agricultural pests: the cabbage seedpod weevil, bertha armyworms and… Read More