The Manitoba and federal governments have announced $400,000 for a four-year feed wheat breeding project to be conducted by the farmer-run Western Feed Grain Development Co-op. According to a government news release, the focus of the project will be to “develop new feed wheat varieties that have characteristics such as high yield, flood tolerance, fusarium… Read More
Category: Western Canada
After several months without any new cases, porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED) virus has been found on two hog farms in Manitoba within the last week. The province’s Chief Veterinary Officer on Thursday confirmed Manitoba’s fourth on-farm case in a sow operation in the southeast corner of the province. Just six days earlier, PED was also… Read More
Iguassu (or Iguazu, Iguacu) Falls borders Argentina and Brazil, its name originating from the Tupi or Guarani language meaning “big water.” With a width of 2.7 kilometers and heights between 60 and 82m, it certainly is big water. They’re taller than Niagara Falls and twice as wide. And it’s not just the falls that are uniquely spectacular…. Read More
With a challenging harvest underway, it’s probably not be a high priority, but now could be the time to lock in prices for some of next year’s nitrogen fertilizer. Lower crop prices will place an extra emphasis on managing input costs for the 2015 crop, notes Mike Jubinville, president and senior analyst with ProFarmer Canada,… Read More
A cool, wet summer has left many Ontario soybean fields with some level of white mould infection. The fuzzy white stem rot could be seen in patches across many fields by late summer, sometimes causing large areas of loss in a field. A key element of controlling or avoiding this disease is understanding how it… Read More
At General Mills’ 86th annual meeting held yesterday in Minneapolis, shareholders voted resoundingly against a proposal to eliminate genetically modified ingredients from its products. The proposal was submitted by Harriett Crosby of Maryland. The proposal cites Goss’ Wilt, Agent Orange, Bt-resistant rootworms and gluten-intolerance induced by glyphosate as some of the reasons to eliminate GMOs. The National… Read More
Agrton Enterprises Inc’s Legend Detection System was on display at Canada’s Farm Progress Show this year. Using an iPhone or Android device to track air drill operation, the system proves there is indeed an app for that. And with the built-in Seed Rate Wizard it allows the operator to check their pounds per acre or seeds per acre calibration for both… Read More
In the world of precision agriculture, the CX-6 Smart Seeder from Clean Seed Capital Group stands alone in its ability to customize the rates at which seed and fertilizer are applied to each row in a field. The CX-6 can meter up to six different products right above each row opener, explains Colin Rosengren, vice-president… Read More
Larger farm equipment has its benefits on the field, but there’s also additional risk in getting it there, particularly when driving new machinery under old power lines. Just ask Gerrid Gust, a farmer from Davidson, Saskatchewan. During seeding this past spring, an air-drill from Gust’s farm snagged a power line over a main road in the… Read More
If you’re looking for ways and means to step up your farm leadership skills and tackle the tough questions regarding moving the farm from one generation to the next, you’re not alone. Canadian farms are in the midst of significant business transition that’s set to continue well into the next decade. Farm Management Canada is… Read More
Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz today completed a trade mission to China and India to open new markets for Canadian farmers and agriculture industries. Of particular note, Minister Ritz met with China’s Minister of Agriculture Han Changfu to work to secure permanent access for Canadian live cattle valued by industry at $150 million annually once fully… Read More
Fast times are upon us in the North American beef industry. Feed is cheap, calves are in short supply, and credit is a hot commodity. Today Anne Wasko and Shaun focus on the calf market. In particular the rate at which Canadian ranchers are not retaining heifers. As Anne will share with you, the US… Read More
Almost a decade after negotiations began, the Canada-Korea Free Trade Agreement was signed today in Ottawa by Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Korean President Park Geun-hye. The deal is expected to help Canadian agricultural exports compete against American exports, as sales of Canadian beef, pork and other commodities have declined since South Korea ratified a similar trade… Read More
With all the excitement about the use of unmanned aerial vehicles in agriculture, it’s important to understand the reliability of information collected by UAVs. Can we trust their accuracy to make farm management decisions? Beyond that, could UAV data tell us something before we see it on the ground? Researchers in North Dakota are evaluating… Read More
While new bilateral trade agreements present many opportunities, international trade is also becoming much more complicated for agriculture companies in the export business, say the authors of a report published by the Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute (read the paper here.) With bilateral deals with the European Union, Japan and South Korea in the works, keeping… Read More