Many years ago, farmers used to take caution when planting winter wheat and rye due to snow mould. Not so much a problem anymore.

Where have these funguys gone?

Herbicides and “new” crops may play a role in controlling disease

Back in the 1970s and ’80s when I worked for Alberta Agriculture, take-all of wheat and barley and snow mould of winter wheat were hot topics on the Canadian prairies. Yield losses from these two diseases were considerable. Wet summers were bad for take-all, while deep snow winters often led to snow mould. I remember […] Read more

Recent rains improve crop conditions, topsoil moisture

Saskatchewan Crop Report for the week ending June 11

Rain across most of the province has helped to alleviate dry topsoil moisture conditions. Areas in the southeast, which was one of the drier regions over the past couple of months, received large amounts that caused flooding. The moisture will help to replenish pasture and encourage hay growth. Seeding operations are mostly complete, but there […] Read more


Dry fields see rain relief, seeding nears completion

Saskatchewan Crop Report for the week ending June 4

The majority of the province received much-needed moisture this past week, helping to alleviate concerns about dry field conditions. The amount of rain varied across the province, with some southwestern areas receiving very little, while many fields in the southeast are saturated and flooded. The Lampman area received 256 mm of rain. Fields and roads […] Read more






Seeding advances past five-year average, crops begin to emerge

Saskatchewan Crop Report for the week ending May 14

Thanks to good seeding conditions, Saskatchewan producers made up the time lost in previous weeks. Thirty-five per cent of the crop is now in the ground, just ahead of the five-year (2013-2017) seeding average of 32 per cent for this time of year. Crops are starting to emerge. Seeding is furthest advanced in the southeast, […] Read more

Lentil plants in bloom. (BasieB/iStock/Getty Images)

Pulse weekly outlook: Good start despite dry conditions

CNS Canada — Dry soil conditions persist across many areas of Western Canada but the outlook for pulse crops seems fairly promising in one specialist’s view. “For the pulses, seeding has been going fairly well,” said Daphne Cruise, crops extension specialist with Saskatchewan’s provincial Agriculture Knowledge Centre in Moose Jaw. “A lot of the pulses […] Read more


Stewart Collin took this photo of a field south of Foremost, Alta., on April 23, 2018. He estimates at least 15 per cent of his acres won’t get seeded this year.

Farmers hoping for a balance in moisture

As spring finally takes hold, producers report a wide range of seeding conditions

The 2018 seeding season is starting out as a Goldilocks year for many western Canadian farmers — with conditions ranging from too dry, or too wet, they are looking for that middle ground that is “just right.” Producers in parts of Manitoba and southern Saskatchewan are reporting enough moisture to get the crop started, but […] Read more

(Dave Bedard photo)

Canola stocks comfortable, eyes on new crop

CNS Canada — Canadian canola stocks are rather large heading into the new growing season, but attention now is firmly on new-crop production. Statistics Canada on Friday pegged canola supplies in the country as of March 31 at 9.1 million tonnes, the second-largest on record for that time of year and about 1.1 million tonnes […] Read more