A shortage of workers is limiting Canada’s economic potential, especially in agriculture. Annual farm cash receipt losses to Canadian producers due to job vacancies are $1.5 billion, according to a report released this week. Postmedia columnist Andrew Coyne was the opening keynote speaker at the “Growing the AgriWorkforce Summit” in Winnipeg and he joins us… Read More

How confident are you that your pea and lentil seed is not limiting yield potential before you even put it in the ground? With rising acres leading to a shortage of certified seed, there are serious concerns about the quality of the seed that will be used this spring. Sarah Foster of 20/20 Seed Labs joins our own Kelvin Heppner… Read More

Canola is big business in Alberta, so the spread of canola diseases like blackleg, clubroot and most recently, aster yellows is taken very seriously by both industry and producers. How those diseases are transmitted and spread becomes a source of discussion and speculation as well. At this point it becomes incredibly important to separate fact… Read More

  One of the most frequently asked questions I get concerns dormancy — what causes it and how it impacts crops destined for seed use. Dormancy in cereals is the most common of all, and it can be quite troublesome in certain years. This year, growing conditions have been excellent and very little dormancy has… Read More

Dormancy or hard seed counts in peas is not a new phenomenon, but, interestingly, pea germination samples last year and again this year have had higher than usual hard seed counts. Hard seed is seed that has an impermeable seed coat — the seed is impermeable to water or the exchange of gases that occur… Read More

Although Alberta seed producers have done an excellent job of managing the risks associated with diseases, several of our Lethbridge clients have been concerned about Fusarium graminearum in their cereals this season and have been requesting more disease testing. One-third of the cereal samples tested this fall have tested positive for the fungus, with infection… Read More

A good crop starts with good quality seed. As far as choosing that seed goes, most producers make that choice based on two factors, germ and vigour. Those two things are critical, but they don’t tell the whole story. The truth is that there are other unseen things that, if unaddressed can have a major… Read More

 

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