Saskatchewan Agriculture Minister Lyle Stewart is stepping down from his post after being diagnosed with cancer. Stewart, who underwent treatment for prostate cancer in 2014, shared the news in a statement issued by the province on Thursday. “I was recently diagnosed with colorectal cancer and will be undergoing several months of pretty aggressive treatment,” he… Read more »
Category: Western Canada
How I became a stooking champion (on my first try!)
There comes a time when you don’t realize what you just signed up for, and, for me, it was the Yorkton Thresherman’s Show stooking contest this past weekend. My aunt, Chellan Hoffman, ‘stooked’ for the first time last year and came in second place. This year she decided to enter it again. Although I was… Read more »
Surplus issue underscores need to update the Canadian Grain Commission, says Grain Growers president
Several provincial and national farm groups say they are disappointed with the Canadian Grain Commission’s plan for dealing with its $130 million surplus, and that it underscores the need to update the federal agency’s mandate. The surplus has accumulated through user fees charged for grain inspection and other services — costs that were ultimately passed… Read more »
Early plant nutrition management: It’s not “just” vegetative growth
Mike Dolinski has seen a lot of things over the years as an entomologist and senior Agri-Trend coach. Opinions that come and go, scientific consensus that changes, and sometimes catchphrases that catch on, even if they are misleading. At the recent Sure Growth Technologies field day near Marchwell, Sask., Dolinski drew a bead on the… Read more »
Grain Growers of Canada welcomes new members
Grain Growers of Canada welcomed four new members at the group’s annual summer meeting in Guelph, Ont. last week. Grain Farmers of Ontario (GFO), Saskatchewan Pulse Growers, and Producteurs de grains du Québec joined the national crop producer policy organization. “From our perspective, GFO needed a strong voice in Ottawa that represented farmers,” noted GFO CEO… Read more »
303 combines set new Guinness record in Winkler, Manitoba
303 combines. That’s the new Guinness World Record for most combine harvesters working simultaneously in a field, following a successful record attempt in southern Manitoba on Saturday. Organizers of the Harvest for Kids event south of Winkler were aiming for 300 combines to raise awareness and funds for Children’s Camps International (CCI). “It was an amazing… Read more »
Crude oil shipments by rail reaching record levels ahead of harvest
Crude oil shipments by rail in Canada are at record highs and forecast to continue climbing, as oil production has increased with no major expansion in export pipeline capacity. At the same time, executives for Canada’s two major railways say they intend to maintain rail capacity for grain. 198,788 barrels of oil per day were… Read more »
Campbell appointed KAP president
Keystone Agricultural Producers’ board of directors has appointed Bill Campbell as the organization’s new president, after Dan Mazier stepped down earlier this month to seek a nomination for the 2019 federal election. Campbell, who served as a vice-president for Manitoba’s general farm group for the last year and half, has a mixed farm near Minto,… Read more »
Soybean School: Rescuing soybeans suffering from poor nodulation
Soybeans in parts of Western Canada have started to show visual signs of nitrogen deficiency due to poor nodulation and dry conditions. The symptoms are showing up as nitrogen uptake is about to peak, with the crop heading into the critical pod-filling stage. Nodulation failure appears to be more prevalent in fields where soybeans have… Read more »
Corn School: Does split nitrogen pay in Western Canada?
The practice of split-applying nitrogen through the growing season has been increasing throughout U.S. midwest corn states and in Eastern Canada. In Western Canada, about 20 percent of corn growers in Manitoba have adopted the in-season practice, according to newly-released results of a survey conducted by the Manitoba Corn Growers. In this episode of RealAgriculture… Read more »
Canola School: New tool helps optimize combine settings in the heat of harvest
Fast forward a few weeks. Picture the combine has started rolling in a canola field, and you’re not quite happy with how much seed is being lost through the back of the machine. Should you increase cylinder/rotor speed? Open the upper sieve? Maybe adjust the pre-sieve? Decrease concave clearance? Increase fan speed? Decrease fan speed?… Read more »
Canada’s lamb market sees major production merger
Alberta-based Canada Gold Beef Ltd, owners of SunGold Specialty Meats Ltd., and the Canada Gold Lamb Lot have announced the merger of their lamb operations with that of Fresh Canada Meats Ltd, the majority shareholder of Manitoba-based Canada Sheep and Lamb Farms Ltd. Fresh Canada Meats is a wholly owned Canadian subsidiary of Integrated Foods… Read more »
Japan resumes purchases of Canadian wheat
The Japanese government has ended its temporary suspension of Canadian wheat imports, just over a month after pausing purchases from Canada following the confirmation of a handful of unapproved genetically-modified wheat plants found growing in southern Alberta in 2017. The country’s ministry of agriculture issued tenders for 62,957 tonnes of food-quality wheat from Canada on… Read more »
Canola School: A surprising mid-season pest update
Some pests like it dry, some like it warm, and some need it windy to get where they want to go. And sometimes insect pests can surprise you and not nearly be as bad as anticipated. That’s the story of the summer of 2018 — so far — according to Alberta Agriculture insect specialist, Scott Meers…. Read more »
MacAulay commits $6.3 million to integrated agronomy research
A list of eight agronomic research priorities will receive funding through a new “Integrated Crop Agronomy Cluster” announced by federal Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay in Saskatoon, Sask. on Thursday — the latest ag research “cluster” to have funding announced by the minister in his cross-country summer tour. $6.3 million under the government’s new Canadian Agricultural Partnership… Read more »