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Prairie farm gardens

Growing vegetable and fruit crops in Canada: Part 1 of a series

Garden crops from beans to apples have been a passion of mine from my childhood in Wales. On our small 17-acre Welsh farm in southwest Wales, we grew or raised most of the vegetable food that we ate from potatoes to apples as well as milk, eggs, pork and chickens. The mild climate allowed us […] Read more

(Screengrab from Merit Functional Foods video via YouTube)

Merit Foods pays off operating lender, no deal yet for plant

Plant-based protein processor in receivership since March

A Winnipeg pea and canola protein processor in receivership since this spring remains mothballed for now with no firm buyer — but has paid off one of its three secured creditors. Merit Functional Foods, which entered receivership March 1 after just two years’ operation, has sold all its remaining finished and raw inventory and directed […] Read more


(Dave Bedard photo)

Higher canola, wheat production expected in StatCan report

Traders raise concerns about report accuracy

MarketsFarm — There was a consensus among several traders and analysts that Statistics Canada will very likely raise its estimates on canola and wheat production for 2023-24. Yields on the Prairies were better than expected following a difficult first half of the growing period, as the weather improved during the second half. StatCan is set […] Read more

File photo of a pea crop south of Ethelton, Sask. on Aug. 1, 2019. (Dave Bedard photo)

Pulse weekly outlook: Pea prices beginning to weaken

'Increased export competition' seen

MarketsFarm — With increased export competition, pea prices in Western Canada have slipped back, according to Levon Sargsyan of Johnston Grains in Calgary. “We are hearing that China slowed their imports down from Canada, which is driving the current decrease in prices,” Sargsyan said. “They have increased their imports from countries like Russia, which is […] Read more



Yellow peas. (Victoria Popova/iStock/Getty Images)

Pulse weekly outlook: Pea exports solid so far, lentils down on year

MarketsFarm — Canadian pea exports are running at a solid pace through the first two months of the 2023-24 marketing year, despite smaller production, as exports of newly-harvested supplies in September nearly quadrupled what moved the previous month. Canada exported 440,085 tonnes of peas in September, up from only 99,645 tonnes the previous month, according […] Read more


In canola, certain seed treatments have efficacy on flea beetles, cutworms, or both.

Before you place your seed order, consider this

Q & A with an expert

Q: What should I consider when choosing seed varieties for the next growing season? A: Seed-selling season seems to come earlier each year. Though it feels counterintuitive to buy next year’s seed before current crops are in the bin, logistics and contra- season seed production in South America make it necessary to start this process […] Read more

The Leguee Farms family members from left: Jake and Stephanie Leguee with their three children Asher, 8, Grayson, 5, and Tristan, 2; Russ and Sharon Leguee with Russ holding Bo, 2, (Amber and Erik’s son); Sarah Leguee ; and Erik and Amber Nikolejsin and their other two children Dax, 7, and Hazel, 4.

A glimpse into bright, young farming operations

From potatoes to cranberries, eggs to pork, beef to veal and millions of seeds — this is what these farmers do

Canada’s Outstanding Young Farmers will experience the hospitality of Quebec in late November as regional nominees and alumni gather in Laval for the national awards competition. Along with the seven OYF regional nominee farm families, about 200 alumni and guests from the program will attend the 43rd national awards event that runs Nov. 23-26. Nominees […] Read more


AAC Planet is a new yellow pea from SeedNet with high yields, good standability and good resistance to seed coat breakage.

Pulse crop varieties for 2024

New pea and faba bean options for Prairie farmers

Pulse producers in Western Canada have some new crops to choose from for the 2024 season. Here are seven new pea and faba bean offerings from Prairie Fava, SeCan, SeedNet, Stamp Seeds and Valesco Genetics. Prairie Fava Allison is a coloured, flower-type faba bean from DL Seeds with excellent processing characteristics. This earlier maturity variety […] Read more

Here is a soil core laid out for sampling. Soil samples collected for soil nutrient analyses should be placed in breathable bags. In this picture, soil moisture samples were being collected and placed in stainless steel containers to precisely determine soil moisture content.

The importance of soil testing after a season of drought

Develop sound, economical fertilizer plans for each crop and field

In my last article, I discussed concerns of herbicide residue carry-over after a season of drought. In this article, I will discuss the importance of soil testing for plant-available nutrients after a drier-than-normal growing season. Many farmers in the southern Prairies had below normal growing season rainfall, while some had almost no rain. The result […] Read more