Columns & Production Tips

Getting info and seeding early

It is the time of year to gather knowledge and make your plans for the coming season

By Brian Wittal February 21, 2018

January is the busiest month of the year for ag trade shows, conferences, updates and industry meetings. You could spend the entire month traveling across the Prairies attending sessions. I attended the inaugural Cereals Innovation Symposium in Red Deer, Alta., hosted by the Alberta Wheat Commission, and heard some very interesting speakers. Scientists talked about […] Read more

Columns, Crops

Moving from “just new here” to “experienced”

Moving ahead on the learning curve requires you to make a mental switch

By Toban Dyck February 21, 2018

Eventually, I will get it. Eventually, I will understand farming and agriculture. I don’t know when, though. And when I retreat inside my own brain to take stock what I do in fact know, the process gets interrupted by questions such as, what does it really mean to know or learn anything? The first time […] Read more

Columns, Crops

Cooler July, thanks to farmers and canola

Swift Current temperature data shows different long-term trends in January versus July

By Les Henry February 20, 2018

This piece is a result of the Canola Discovery Forum at Canola Days in Saskatoon in December, 2017. Jay Whetter, former editor of Grainews and now communications manager with the Canola Council of Canada, invited me to address the issue of precision agriculture with specific reference to the role soil maps might play. My contribution […] Read more

Columns, Guarding Wealth

Using annuities for an income stream

Guarding Wealth: They’re rock solid investments and eliminate market risk, but annuities are not cheap

By Andrew Allentuck February 20, 2018

Annuities are life insurance running in reverse. Rather than paying a premium for benefit at the death of the insured, an annuity stars with a lump sum and pays out income until the death of the person getting the money, the “annuitant” in annuity-speak. Payments will sometimes last longer than a lifetime, if there are […] Read more

Editor's column, Wheat & Chaff

Editor’s Column: What’s the value of our time?

By Leeann Minogue February 13, 2018

These are action-packed days in the world of ag commodity groups. Funding cuts at the Canola Council, office doors closing at the Flax Council and a collection of Manitoba commodity groups discussing merging into one mega-organization. There are a lot of things happening. Yet when I attended a few of the Saskatchewan commodity group AGMs […] Read more

Crops, Wheat & Chaff

Safe rates for seed-placed fertilizer

By Twyla Jones February 12, 2018

Q: How do I determine the safe rate of seed-placed fertilizer for canola, wheat and barley? A: If you’ve bought a new drill, changed openers or changed your fertilizer blends, these changes may have implications on seed safety. Many new drills have moved to wider row spacing and narrower openers. Take the time to investigate […] Read more

Wheat & Chaff

Protecting workers and your farm

By Canadian Agricultural Safety Association February 12, 2018

When you tally up your assets on your farm, you probably count the big ones: land, machinery, inputs, buildings, stored grain. But do you count your people? Your workers, your family and yourself? You should. These folks are your number one asset and as such need to be guided and protected. Keeping these people safe […] Read more

The Cosco KHI231 container ship is 400 metres long, with a deck larger than four soccer fields.

Columns, Hart Attacks

Big boats and Bitcoin boggle me

Keeping up with new technology is a full-time job. Lee Hart hopes there’s no test

By Lee Hart February 9, 2018

Imagine my excitement the other day when I saw China had just launched another of the world’s largest container ships. All I could think about was how much great merchandise this boat could carry to my nearest Canadian Tire Store. So much good stuff — much of it I probably need. But then I read […] Read more

Cattleman’s Corner, Dairy Cattle, The Dairy Corner

Getting faraway dry cows prepared

Ration should be about 80 per cent of the lactation nutrient package

By Peter Vitti February 9, 2018

As a dairy nutritionist I’ve noticed a new trend among dairy farmers in the last few years in feeding and management of their dry cows. The line between a faraway dry cow and close-up dry cow has faded and producers are feeding much more nutrient-packed rations to them than we used to. I am not […] Read more

Columns, Hart Attacks

Old Ballantyne house an important part of my roots

Hart Attacks: Where or who would I be without the old Ballantyne place in Eastern Ontario?

By Lee Hart February 9, 2018

It was just an old house at the end of the road I grew up on in Eastern Ontario, but for some reason news I received on New Year’s Eve that the Ballantyne place had been destroyed by fire, really hit home — it was a bit like losing a friend. I had only been […] Read more

Daily Network News

Southern California honeybees show resistance to varroa mites

Pulse Weekly: SaskPulse optimistic despite input, crop price concerns

Canadian aquaculture should be classed as agriculture, industry groups say

Columns