Practical Tips & Production Tips

Ergot is best recognized in the field as black or dark purple sclerotia sticking out of a floret.

How a worldwide destructive cereal disease problem was solved in Alberta

In the story of ergot in wheat, barley and oats, the answer was simply 'copper'

By Ieuan Evans May 4, 2024

When I was first hired by Alberta Agriculture as a diagnostic plant pathologist, I was told I would be primarily responsible for barley, oat, wheat and canola diseases. I was also asked to head up the provincial control program for bacterial ring rot of potato (BRR). The BRR program, run in partnership with the federal […] Read more

A tomato harvest from planter boxes in Winnipeg.

Columns, Crops, Practical Tips

Tomatoes and onions in gardens everywhere

Part 7 of a series: On all farms, tomatoes should go into ground not previously used for tomatoes

By Ieuan Evans April 8, 2024

Tomatoes Tomatoes originated in South America from wild plants with grape-sized fruit. They were developed by the Indigenous peoples of the Americas. They were first brought to Europe in the 1540s, to Italy in particular by the 1550s. North Americans were slow to pick up on tomatoes, regarding them as poisonous until almost the year […] Read more

The older the seed, the greater the loss of vigour and germination will be.

Columns, Crops, Practical Tips

Saving your own crop seed

Don't just assume two- or three-year-old seed, or even last year's seed, will still be viable

By Ieuan Evans March 23, 2024

Look before you leap! Check your seed before you plant. Before getting into the topic of saving your own seed, whether it be cereals or legumes or any crop except for canola, I talked to several consultants and seed growers. Their answers were that few growers use all-new seed every year. These few exceptions actually […] Read more

As picturesque together as they may be, onions and garlic should be kept in separate areas while growing in the garden.

Columns, Practical Tips

More on Prairie vegetables and fruits

Part 6 of a series: Let’s look further at what grows well on the Prairies — and when it doesn’t, why

By Ieuan Evans March 11, 2024

In previous issues I dealt with potatoes and the cabbage family of garden vegetables, but perhaps I should also take a look at all and any successfully grown Prairie vegetable crops. To do this, I should list all vegetable crops into related categories, as in the table shown here, so we can more clearly plan […] Read more

Researchers now recommend allowing one or two years between terminating an old alfalfa stand and reseeding.

Columns, Forages, Practical Tips

Alfalfa replant disease and related disorders

Whatever the cause, we can realize it's a problem and try to avoid it

By Ieuan Evans March 1, 2024

Back in the 1980s I spent a lot of time on alfalfa diseases, particularly the verticillium wilt disease problem that was spreading across the Prairies, particularly in southern Alberta. In a few snow-free and cold Decembers in those years, a lot of damage was done to alfalfa, winterkilling entire fields of three-year-old stands. Even white […] Read more

What’s now known as the Evans cherry likely had ancestry in Siberia and was brought to Alaska by Russian immigrants.

Apples, Columns, Fruit/Vegetables, Practical Tips

Fruit growing on Prairie farms

Part 5 of a series on Prairie farm gardens

By Ieuan Evans February 23, 2024

Fruit growing on the Canadian Prairies is much easier and more rewarding than most people ever imagine. I am an avid fruit grower on my Alberta acreage, growing everything from plums, pears, grapes, apples and cherries to currants and raspberries. You name it, I am growing it. I am familiar with backyard Prairie gardens all […] Read more

Growing potatoes in Prairie farm gardens should be relatively easy if you’re able to anticipate and avoid the usual problems.

Columns, Potatoes, Practical Tips

Let’s meet the potato family

Part 4 of a series on Prairie farm gardens

By Ieuan Evans February 13, 2024

The potato is a member of the solanum or Solanaceae family, made up of thousands of wild and cultivated species that range from deadly nightshade to tomatoes. Commonly cultivated in farm gardens are potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, eggplants and tomatillos. Members of this family also include petunias, lobelias, tobacco and common weeds such as black nightshade […] Read more

For fresh eating and freezing, fava beans must be picked when they are full-sized beans.

Columns, Practical Tips, Pulses

Fava beans for Prairie gardens — and fields

Part 3 of a series on Prairie farm gardens

By Ieuan Evans February 3, 2024

The fava bean (Vicia faba) in Canada is often misunderstood, treated as though it is strictly a southern European or Middle Eastern legume crop. I have even seen the large fava bean type labelled as a Chinese crop. In point of fact, all of Europe grew fava beans. The beans were traditionally classified according to […] Read more

Crops, Practical Tips, Wheat & Chaff

Tips when selecting a new seed variety

Q & A with an expert

By Gary Topham December 15, 2022

Q: What should I consider when I’m choosing a new variety? A: When choosing a new variety with a grower, I look at many factors including maturities, past crop rotations, herbicides used and specific weed issues as well as any disease or insect concerns the grower may have in their fields. And, of course, how […] Read more

Hollie Rudy is a
territory manager
with Nutrien
Financial. One of
her tips for farmers
is don’t wait too
long to take
advantage of
incentive programs
for seed and crop
input purchases.

Features, Practical Tips

Five tips for better year-end financial planning

What you can do to maximize profitability and financial sustainability in 2023

By Treena Hein December 8, 2022

December is an excellent time to review your finances and to make sure you are setting up your farm business for the biggest profits possible in 2023. That means taking certain actions and avoiding others. For some farm business strategies, we checked in with Hollie Rudy, a territory manager with Nutrien Financial who also farms […] Read more

Alberta Crop Report: Higher-than-average yields expected

U.S. livestock: Tight cattle supply helps CME futures rebound from collapse

U.S. grains: Soy futures post weekly loss on expectations for big U.S. crop

GFM Network News