I have seen pea crops combined in some years by the end of August or early September. What the smart farmer then does is heavy harrow the pea stubble and bury a few bushels per acre of peas that missed the combine. Under moist soil conditions, these peas will germinate and, in most instances, grow well into the end of October.

Let’s get real on cover crops

Let’s call them Prairie catch crops

Cover crops have been much heralded as possible wonder fits for Canadian Prairie cropping systems. Sometimes they might fit. It really depends heavily on our most important nutrient of all — water — and the type of following crop you intend to grow. In many years of Prairie crop evaluations, it is no surprise that […] Read more



A study by Prairie Agricultural Machinery Institute indicates more powerful fans may be needed to properly condition canola in larger bins. However, installing something like this 50-horsepower centrifugal fan could require you upgrade your electrical system to three-phase power as well.

The challenge with large grain bins when storing canola

Fan limitations can make it harder to store canola safely

Grain bins on Prairie farms are generally a lot bigger than they used to be. But have best practices for storage management kept pace? Charley Sprenger, a research project lead at Prairie Agricultural Machinery Institute (PAMI) in Portage la Prairie, Man., addressed that question during her Canola Week 2021 presentation on canola storage. “A lot […] Read more

With the seeding rate calculator at canolacalculator.ca, enter seed size, target plant stand, estimated emergence percentage and seed cost per pound and the calculator provides a seeding rate and estimated seed cost per acre.

Canola plant establishment quiz

Find out how much you know with this CCC quiz

The Canola Council of Canada (CCC) recommends a canola stand of five to eight canola plants per square foot. This is based on hybrid canola studies from Western Canada, which show canola crops need a minimum of three to four plants per square foot to maintain yield potential. Crops with plant populations lower than this […] Read more



File photo of a rapeseed field in Iwate prefecture in northeastern Honshu, Japan. (Nattya3714/iStock.Getty Images)

USDA reports offer new oilseed insights from India, Japan

MarketsFarm — The Foreign Agricultural Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released its weekly Global Agricultural Information Network (GAIN) reports on Wednesday, including new information regarding oilseeds in India and Japan. Oilseed production in India is projected to increase by one per cent at 42.1 million tonnes in 2022-23, according to FAS New […] Read more


Sheri Strydhorst says a couple of weeks after the crop is up and growing, farmers should be scouting fields, checking as many acres as possible and making an assessment of what’s “normal” and “not normal.” Look closely at plants above ground, at ground level and dig up a few to examine the roots. Strydhorst cautions against getting lazy or complacent — nothing beats having boots in the field to identify problems before they get out of hand.

Get boots in the field as variables increase

Field scouting is even more important this year as farmers face an increasing number of variables

There are a few good reasons to put some real effort into field scouting this coming season. Crop growth and development, particularly with wild weather, can be much different than “normal.” And knowing what pests are out there or not out there, or the degree of severity if they are out there, makes for much […] Read more

Hunter Goliath turnips can be an excellent forage cover crop, although as the White Lake Colony learned one concern with turnips, especially if there is a high percentage in the forage mix is that the high protein crop “runs through the cattle too fast; the cows get very loose manure”.

Experimenting with irrigated cover crops

Program helps to extend the grazing season while also helping to benefit the soil

The White Lake Hutterite Colony near Nobleford, about half an hour northwest of Lethbridge, Alberta produces both beef cattle along with annual crops, and in recent years they’ve started looking at growing cover crops under irrigation. Cattle manager Jerry Hofer has been trying several different species to be seeded after taking off soft white wheat […] Read more


(Alfio Manciagli/iStock/Getty Images)

Australian canola production heading downward, but still sizeable

New second-biggest harvest expected, USDA predicts

MarketsFarm — Despite canola production in Australia being set to drop 26 per cent in 2022-23, the country’s farmers are still projected to harvest the second largest crop, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s attaché in Canberra. In the attaché’s report, released Monday, canola production for the coming crop year was projected to be […] Read more

(File photo courtesy Canola Council of Canada)

Canola exports turn tiny as Canada running out

MarketsFarm — There was a tremendous drop in canola exports from Canada during week 34 of the 2021-22 marketing year, according to the Canadian Grain Commission. The commission’s report issued Thursday showed a mere 800 tonnes of canola were shipped overseas. The week before, 128,300 tonnes were outbound. “We’re really getting close to running out,” […] Read more