Give a boy a burdock plant, and he’ll be irritated for a day. Teach a boy to kill said burdock plant, and he just may go on to be a provincial weed control specialist. At least, that’s the path that Clark Brenzil, weed specialist for the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture, took. In this episode of… Read more »
Tag: Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture
Fall weed control strategies after an early harvest
If you’re talking early weed control, fall is the earliest you can get for next year’s crop. For many, a pre-harvest glyphosate application does double duty, drying down the crop and setting back those perennials weeds. But in this incredibly dry year, crop dry-down was so fast many farmers didn’t need to use glyphosate pre-harvest,… Read more »
Why water quality should be monitored throughout summer
Water quality can affect animal welfare and the financial bottom line long before visual symptoms start to appear. “It never bothered them before” is an often-heard refrain when the welfare of animals is impaired by poor water quality. “We just can’t determine the quality of water by just looking at it,” explains Leah Clark of… Read more »
Saskatchewan Budget Cuts Pasture Program, Changes Fuel Exemptions, Bumps PST
Brad Wall’s Saskatchewan government rolled out its 2017-18 cost-cutting budget yesterday, and there’s something for everyone to pick on. Affecting all sectors, Wall is increasing the provincial sales tax (PST) from five to six per cent, and has re-written what goods and services are no longer PST-exempt. Specific for farmers, beginning April 1, 2017, fuel tax… Read more »
Saskatchewan’s Celebrating Rural Ranch Women Registration Deadline Today
Last year, the Government of Saskatchewan proclaimed March, “Rural Women’s Month,”and this year, they’re kicking it off with a new event, called “Celebrating Rural Ranching Women.” Speakers for the day, which runs from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM on February 26, 2016, include Anne Wasko, marketing analyst with Gateway Livestock; Kathy Larson, beef economist with… Read more »
Pulse School: Top 5 Tips for a Great Lentil Crop
There’s plenty of excitement surrounding lentils heading into the 2016 growing season, with record acres expected. In this Pulse School episode, Shannon Chant of Saskatchewan’s Ministry of Agriculture shares her top five tips for a good (or even great) lentil crop: 5 Tips for a Great Lentil Crop Good quality seed — Of course it… Read more »
Saskatchewan’s Hay Harvest Challenge Underway — And Who Couldn’t Use a $1000 Voucher?
In an effort to raise awareness around feed testing, Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture, Central Testing Laboratories and Saskatchewan Peavey Mart has kicked off a province wide Hay Harvest Challenge for forage producers. “We essentially wanted to have kind of a fun and great way for forage producers to become more aware of the importance of feed… Read more »
What’s the Fusarium Risk on your Farm Today? Sask. Map Tool Helps Inform Spray Decision
The Saskatchewan Wheat Commission has launched an online, map-based tool designed to help farmers anticipate fusarium risk on their farms. The tool, available on the Sask Wheat website, is a series of fusarium risk assessment maps that will be updated daily using data collected from approximately 421 weather stations across Saskatchewan. The maps are generated… Read more »
Finding Balance: An Interview with Deputy Minister Alanna Koch
Alanna Koch, Deputy Minister, Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture, talks about finding a work-life balance, leadership and personality, as she answers these 5 questions: How do you successfully juggle family and work commitments? You mentioned the importance of being who you are, where you are. What did you mean by that? How do you decide how… Read more »
Canola School: Sprayer Cleanliness Resolutions for 2015
One of the leading causes of herbicide injury in canola is insufficient sprayer cleaning, says Clark Brenzil, provincial weed control specialist for the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture. Whether due to drift or residue, herbicide injury can result in drastic yield losses, besides being an eye-sore to drive by. Related: Spray Tips with Tom Wolf — Ep. 6: 7 Steps to… Read more »
Canola School: Taking the Liberty of Brushing Up on Herbicide Injury Symptoms
Now that there’s a little more time on our hands, we can look back at the growing season and see where issues and inefficiencies arose. One of the major concerns this year in Western Canada was herbicide injury, especially in canola crops, where some growers thought their Liberty Link canola was seeing injury from its… Read more »
Compressing the Calving Season — The 21-Day Challenge
Calving seasons should be 63 days (3, 21-day cycles), with at least 60% of the calves born in the first 21 days, according to the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture. This helps calving cows stay on track, increases the size of calves at weaning (by up to 100 pounds from 1st to 3rd cycle) and improves… Read more »
Saskatchewan Government Commits $100,000 to International Year of Pulses
Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall recently announced $100,000 in funding to support activities for the United Nations’ International Year of Pulses (IYOP), to be observed in 2016. The announcement was made in Mumbai, India, where the premier was touring promoting Saskatchewan as a supplier to India of food and fuel. “The International Year of Pulses will… Read more »
Pulse School: The Root Cause of Yellowing in Peas
With flash flooding and saturated soils affecting much of the prairie provinces this year, it’s no wonder producers are finding pea crops with serious symptom development. Unfortunately, distinguishing nutrient deficiencies, nodulation issues (read more: Nodulation No-Show? Tips for a Rescue N App) and disease presence from other stress-inducing factors can be incredibly difficult. A few key signs peas may be… Read more »
Managing Saline Soils the Perennial Way
We all have them or have seen them — the areas where crop productivity falls near null, and foxtail barley encroachment begins. Areas affected by high salinity are often referred to as alkali sloughs, and are considered for remediation. Years of no- or minimum-till farming across the prairies has certainly helped the situation, says Kelly Farden,… Read more »