Although it’s a bit late in the year to be buying bags for grain storage in Saskatchewan, you’ll notice a price difference the next time you plan to purchase them due to a newly-imposed environment handling fee. At the beginning of the November, the Saskatchewan government added a 25 cent per kilogram fee on the… Read More
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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 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
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