Berith, Jonas Karl and Bernd Klänhammer.

Meet your farming neighbours: Bernd Klänhammer

Bernd Klänhammer’s 200-year old family farm was lost in the 50s, then regained

Every farm has its own story. No two farms (or farmers) are exactly alike. Everyone got started in a different way, and every farm has a different combination of family and hired staff who make the decisions and keep things running. But, in general, even after you consider all of the details, farmers are more […] Read more

Sunset in wheat field, late afternoon in wheat field - dusk in the cereal field

Copper: For peat’s sake!

Think peaty soil isn’t worth farming? Just add copper to get better results

Peat is nature’s natural organic compost. As a field crop amendment, peat has a lower carbon-to-nitrogen ratio (C:N), 60:1, than straw or cattle manure — that’s around 80:1. Canada has 270 million — yes, million — acres of peat lands, making up 25 per cent of the world’s peatland supply. Peat is harvested right across […] Read more


Soybean and flax intercrop example.

Reducing inputs through intercropping

In Part 2 of a 2-part series, a panel of farmers discuss the benefits of intercropping

Many producers who adopt intercrops and cover crops are looking to increase soil and plant health and reduce the need for inputs such as synthetic fertilizers. That effect often becomes clearer the longer they manage the system. The three producers on a panel at an Intercropping Workshop in Brandon, Man., last November shared how they […] Read more

A freighter is loaded with grain from a terminal at Vancouver’s Burrard Inlet. (Maxvis/iStock/Getty Images)

Canola exports still sluggish, but grains solid

Canadian canola exports continue to lag behind the year-ago pace, with large supplies in the commercial pipeline, according to the latest weekly data from the Canadian Grain Commission. Canada only exported 69,900 tonnes of canola during the week ended Sunday, well below the 205,500 tonnes that moved the previous week. Total canola exports during the […] Read more



Can a cover crop help establish forages?

Can a cover crop help establish forages?

Q & A with Nutrien Ag Solutions

Q: Are there benefits to a cover crop for forage establishment? A. There are many benefits to planting a cover crop (sometimes referred to as a companion or nurse crop) for forage establishment. Cover crops commonly planted alongside perennial forages include oats, barley and wheat. Before a forage stand becomes well established, bare soil can […] Read more


Females still need high level of proper nutrition after calving.

Proper nutrition needed before and after calving

An example of a good feeding plan based on common sense and economy

Most people have done a good job in feeding their gestating cows this winter in order to maintain good body condition for calving. Yet hard work doesn’t stop once the last calf is born. Rather, good nutrition should continue for months afterward, so fresh cows can produce lots of milk for their growing calves and […] Read more



(WPohlDesign/iStock/Getty Images)

Feed weekly outlook: Markets steady amid cold Alberta weather

Excessively cold temperatures in Alberta may be causing headaches for both feed grain buyers and sellers, but prices remain relatively steady for what’s moving. The cold weather hasn’t really led to a significant increase in demand, but “it’s definitely made the farmer grumpy,” said Brandon Motz of CorNine Commodities in Lacombe, Alta. “In general, the […] Read more

When you sell straw or hay off your farm, have you ever considered the fate of the nutrients contained in the hay or straw?

Selling nutrients: the last straw

Practical Research: How to degrade productive cropland by selling the nutrients after the harvest season

Sandy soil areas are not uncommon on the Canadian Prairies, especially west and north of Edmonton, my home area. It made me wince when I saw endless lines of wheat straw bales on countless sandy fields this fall. Technically speaking, straw should never be sold on any kind of cropland unless there is a very […] Read more