The stress of spring has been brutal in many parts of the west. It does bring to my the saying, “if farming was easy everyone would do it!” The weather is definitely testing the nerves of everyone that is involved in this chaos. With some farmers not having turned a wheel yet in 2010, the… Read More
Category: Video
In this weeks episode, Anne Dunford discusses the impact that external forces are having on the North American Cattle market. It is becoming very clear that the markets like to respond to any news it can causing unnecessary prices moves which results in uncontrollable risk. Many times these external forces are reality but sometimes they… Read More
At the ISF 2010 World Seed Congress last week I had the chance to talk to Dave Sippell, President of the Canadian Seed Trade Association about the potential impacts of Bill C-474. Dr. Sippell discusses the Canadian Seed Trade’s position and why they think this bill would be putting the future of Canadian seed innovation… Read More
As we mentioned last week, we are dealing with abnormal rainfall and cool temps in Alberta and Saskatchewan and that has pushed canola seeding back further than desired. Now that the calendar has entered June, many farmers have started hiring floaters to broadcast seed the canola seed. This is not ideal but the unfortunate reality… Read More
We have no shortage of farmer led groups in Canada. Almost every crop has a growers association that represents their interests in Ottawa, tries to create demand for the commodity with end users and consumers, supports the agronomics of the crop and provides services to the members. Many times this can feel disjointed and does… Read More
Okay I will say it…..this spring has been a real challenge. Crop staging is quite varied. We have plants battling frosty conditions and there is thousands of acres that have not been planted yet. If have crop up it feels like it is standing still in the water or colder temperatures and if you are… Read More
Septoria can have a nasty impact on your wheat crop yield and overall plant health. Found across Canada, Septoria must be scouted prior to the flag leaf emerging. The disease favors wet windy conditions so the impact will be less in drier years. Leaf disease can have major impact on your overall crop health because it… Read More
In more humid climates, powdery mildew can have a real negative impact on your wheat crop. It is actually known as one of the easier diseases to spot but needs to be sprayed with fungicide to ensure proper control. In the below video chat with Luc Bourgeois, Research and Development at Bayer Crop Science Eastern… Read More
The federal government is proposing to change who is eligible to vote in the upcoming Canadian Wheat Board Election. My understanding is currently that if you have or had a permit book you could vote. The proposed change would require a farmer to at least deliver 40MT of production from one of the seven major… Read More
The one thing that stays consistent is that if you are in the cattle feeding business your really need to be able to stomach volatility and adverse affects that are outside of your realm of control as a producer. The snow storm has had a real impact on the cattle in the yards along with… Read More
It is easy to talk about seeding depth pre-planting but it is even more critical to review planting depth after emergence. It is no different than any other business process. PLAN – EXECUTE – REVIEW – IMPROVE – REPEAT THE CYCLE. The stand above ground tells only part of the story though. You also need… Read More
As you all know the debate around food safety continues to rage on. As we have discussed on this site before, the debate many times comes down to the discussion around combating the theory by many consumers that organic food is more healthy and better for the environment. What we see on tv is people… Read More
The weather in Western Canada this spring has really been unbelievable. With portions of March that felt like June and an April that felt like January, farmers have been stalled in the field. Many tractors and seeders were trapped in snow drifts for a couple weeks and many people were without power a couple times…. Read More
Have you ever heard the phrase the early bird gets the worm? This year the early bird may have reseed….or maybe not. It is probably to early to tell until the weather warms up but it is hard to be that patient. For areas of Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta that have been seeded the crops… Read More
So far we have addressed seeding speed and seeding depth. The last piece of this seeding triangle is the seeding rate. Whether you are seeding canola, corn, soybeans or canola you need to make sure that you are seeding at a rate that allows you to get the proper emergence. As Derwyn Hammond, Canola Council of… Read More