GFM Network News

More News →

Practical Tips

ergot in barley
Columns, Crops, Practical Tips

Let’s close the circuit on what leads to ergot

Practical Research: The solution to the problem for wheat, barley and oat growers is very well documented

By
“Ergot risk threatens Man., less severe elsewhere.” This title appeared in The Western Producer, Aug. 22, 2024. Let’s put that headline in proper perspective. For some reason there are agricultural specialists on the Canadian Prairies and in some states who cannot face actual facts. When you have specialists who refer to wheat as a self-pollinated […] Read more
We’ve found that if domestic plum trees are raised near wild plums, wind pollination readily takes place.
Columns, Fruit/Vegetables, Practical Tips

How Prairie fruits fared in 2024

Practical Research: Past assessments show fruit trees do best on northwest- or northeast-facing slopes

By
We had a very cool spring in 2024, followed by a scorching summer for the third year in a row. So, how did the farm fruit gardens produce this year compared to previous years? The answer is “surprisingly well.” Among my contacts across the Prairies from north to south, fruit production varied from good to […] Read more
Columns, Practical Tips

Memories of a great Albertan

Practical Research: Fifteen years after his passing, Joseph Gurba's long reach through the province’s farming history remains

By
I was offered the position of provincial plant pathologist for Alberta Agriculture by Joe Gurba, head of the crop protection branch, in August 1974. I was at the time an assistant professor at the University of Guelph, more interested in rugby coaching than in basic plant disease research. Joe told me the provincewide position would […] Read more
Al Oeming’s Edmonton-area game farm, shown here in the 1963 film 'Noah of the North,' served as a reservoir for vanishing and even vanished animal species.
Columns, Livestock, Practical Tips

Where species conservation was the aim of the game

Practical Research: The Alberta Game Farm was the visionary innovation of a remarkable Canadian

By
When I moved from Guelph to Edmonton in 1974, I quickly found out Alberta had the world’s biggest and most innovative game farm. It was called the Alberta Game Farm, later called Polar Park, some 25 km west of the city. This farm, situated on 500 hectares (1,236 acres), was truly incredible. The huge open-air […] Read more
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada requires that all ingredients, as well as the percentage of each, must be on the label of a product sold in Canada. Your job as the product user is to read that product label.
Columns, Practical Tips

Perceptions and misconceptions versus realities in agriculture

Practical Research: In the court of public opinion, the drama can fog the facts

By
Since my retirement from Alberta Agriculture in 2002 I’ve acted as a legal expert in a number of lawsuits. Often, when a farmer is sued by a lawyer on behalf of a client, the farmer will immediately seek his own lawyer or lawyers for advice. While the lawyer may be well apprised of provincial and […] Read more
canola in alabama 2015
Canola, Columns, Fruit/Vegetables, Practical Tips

Canola in the U.S. South

Practical Research: Introducing massive acreage of new crops in established growing areas can put both new and established crops at risk

By
Every so often I hear about how farmers in the southern states of the U.S. will soon be growing millions of acres of canola. Of course, what would be grown would be winter canola, since crucifers such as cabbage, collard and broccoli all can survive the Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama and Tennessee winters. They get […] Read more
oatmeal
Columns, Practical Tips

Let’s look at the facts on pesticides

Practical Research: Chemicals found in nature aren’t intrinsically safer than the man-made options

By
The May 2024 edition of Consumer Reports, published by a well-regarded U.S. not-for-profit independent organization, examined “Produce Without Pesticides.” The article carried a lead statement that some 20 per cent of the 59 fruits and vegetables in its ratings posed a high risk for pesticides. It also made the statement that some of our favourite […] Read more
Here we see a drone’s-eye view of an abandoned Canadian peat moss farm in dry summer conditions.
Columns, Crops, Practical Tips

Peatland farming, the Prairies’ best-kept secret

Practical Research: Improving these lands' copper fertility could potentially pay significant dividends

By
In 1981, I heard a discussion on micronutrients in crop production by the late Jerry Stoller. He talked about the need to pay attention to the micronutrient needs of crops, because just like macronutrients — nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and sulphur — they can be depleted over time on even the best cropland. Stoller also said […] Read more
Keeping reference materials current for the farming community could help ward off weeds and pests before they become endemic.
Columns, Crops, Practical Tips

Recognize the value of books, fact sheets, texts

Practical Research: Don’t assume that your phone will have all the answers at hand

By
During my long tenure with Alberta Agriculture we, as a crop protection unit, produced many farmer information presentations, fact sheets, books, booklets, broadcasts and seminars. From 2000 onward, Alberta Agriculture severely cut down on this and other farm information units. The books and fact sheets are fully relevant today but they need upgrading and maintenance, […] Read more
Cross-section of an infected canola plant root. Verticillium fungus spreads upward through a plant’s vascular tissues and can create this sort of discolouration, which looks somewhat similar to blackleg.
Canola, Columns, Practical Tips

Keep verticillium stripe in focus this year

Practical Research: Don't let the fungi hitchhike between fields on your equipment -- or anyone else's

By
Where did such a destructive disease come from? Verticillium stripe was first reported in Manitoba in 2014, some 10 years ago. The fungus, Verticillium longisporum, has now been confirmed present in six provinces: British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec. In a survey in 2023 across Manitoba, verticillium stripe was found in 38 per […] Read more

AgCanadaTV

AGCanadaTV: In case you missed it; your national ag news recap for August 1, 2025

Sponsored By:
More Videos →

Cyber-Savvy Farmer

Glacier Farmmedia Podcast

Latest Market News

More Market News →