Harvest weed seed control has been widely adopted in Australia as a tool in fighting herbicide resistance. When it comes to North America, farmers in southern States, such as Arkansas, have started implementing these concepts, but the idea of destroying weed seed viability has yet to take off here in Canada. In this Wheat School episode,… Read More
Tag: Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
2016 was likely the worst year on record for fusarium head blight (FHB) infection in Western Canada, as the disease has spread west and north since becoming a problem in southern Manitoba in the early 1990s. According to the Canada Grain Commission’s harvest sample survey, almost a quarter of cereal samples in Alberta tested positive for… Read More
Taking a break from peas or lentils for six years is a tall order for fields where aphanomyces has been a problem. Are there in-field options or tools for managing this relatively new disease? Syama Chatterton, pulse crops pathologist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in Lethbridge, has been conducting field trials across the prairies over the last two… Read More
The Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association (OSCIA) has announced a new partnership through Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s AgriRisk Initiatives (ARI) program. The project, entitled ‘Controlled Tile Drainage – Calculate Your Benefits’, will partner OSCIA with scientists at the University of Ottawa to research the crop yield benefits of controlled tile drainage. Controlled tile drainage… Read More
One of the highest-ranking public servants in the federal agriculture department is leaving Ottawa to become Ontario’s Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. Greg Meredith has worked for the federal government for more than 30 years, serving as Assistant Deputy Minister (ADM), Strategic Policy with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada since 2010. He was… Read More
$16.7 million has been set aside for an AgriRecovery program to help cattle producers in Alberta affected by the bovine TB quarantine. While Alberta’s Treasury Board has yet to approve the funding, federal Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay announced the dollar figure in the House of Commons on Wednesday. The “2016 Bovine Tuberculosis Assistance Initiative” will provide… Read More
New genetics are expected to help dry bean growers fight back against common bacterial blight — the number one foliar disease in beans in Western Canada. Annual dry bean field surveys in Manitoba, Alberta and Saskatchewan show common bacterial blight “is usually quite severe and widespread,” explains Bob Conner, pulse crop pathologist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC),… Read More
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s research centre at Swift Current is getting a major upgrade. Federal Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay was in southwest Saskatchewan Wednesday to announce $35.3 million for renovations and new laboratories at the facility, which will be used to support AAFC’s wheat breeding program, as well as other forage and cereal research. “Improvements… Read More
With wet growing conditions in many areas and high prices driving tight pulse crop rotations, the table was set for root rot to feast on pea stands in Western Canada this year. While one of the main culprits — aphanomyces — was first confirmed in Saskatchewan in 2012 and in Alberta in 2013, testing on the pathogen… Read More
There are many potential stressors for cattle during transport, as Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Karen Schwartzkopf-Genswein pointed out at the recent Saskatchewan Stock Growers Association conference and annual general meeting. Animals have to contend with handling (often by unfamiliar people), a unique environment, mixing with new animals, feed and water restrictions and the energy/focus required to remain on… Read More
While most canola producers in western Canada are still keeping an eye out for wireworms and cutworms, there are more reasons to scout on the horizon. Those reasons? Cabbage seedpod weevils and lygus bugs. For each species, there are a series of factors that might influence the susceptibility of a given canola crop to infestation…. Read More
The federal government is investing $1.1 million in developing a hydrological model for the Assiniboine River Basin, which spans more than 160,000 square kilometres of western Manitoba, eastern Saskatchewan and northwestern North Dakota. The project, led by the Manitoba Forage and Grassland Association (MFGA), involves IBM, Aquanty Inc. (a University of Waterloo spinoff company that specializes… Read More
Evidence is adding up to show Western Canada really did grow a big canola crop last year, despite the drought. A combination of ample supplies, expanded crush capacity and the lower Canadian dollar are driving a rapid pace in canola consumption this year, both domestically and through exports. Canadian canola crush is up 12 percent from last… Read More
Satellites are helping depict a clearer picture (literally) of what Canadian farmers grow each year. Accurately predicting and measuring production of each crop grown in Canada has been an ongoing quest for the grain industry and government agencies since farming began in North America. Or at least since the start of the 20th century when E.Cora… Read More
Canadian farm income hit a record high in 2015, and is expected to drop slightly in 2016, according to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. The impact of a weaker Canadian dollar supporting domestic prices is evident throughout the department’s 2016 Canadian Agricultural Outlook, which was published on Friday. Here are some highlights: Net cash income on Canadian farms is estimated to… Read More