Kochia isn’t fussy about where it grows and can flourish in almost any conditions.

Keep kochia off your farm

Why kochia is one of Western Canada’s most problematic weeds, plus how to knock herbicide resistance on the head or prevent its development in the first place

Prairie farmers are well known for their hospitality but there’s one visitor they want nothing to do with — kochia. Kochia has become one of the most problematic weeds in Western Canada. A single kochia plant can produce up to 25,000 seeds and can achieve a germination rate of 60 per cent or higher depending […] Read more

In a 150-acre quarter, the grower losses are $24,300. That’s a loss of 24 cows.

Why should you rotate your crops?

Practical Research: Consider these consequences

Why do we recommend crop rotations in temperate climates? As you may know, many crops like sugar cane can be grown for two to three years and even up to 10 harvests. Alfalfa crops last five to 10 years. In the southern Prairies, the standard crop rotation used to be wheat, fallow, wheat. Now with […] Read more


Jesse Meyer says winter cereals have been a big part of his family’s Peace River region farming operation for about 30 years. Winter cereals help spread out the workload, are an important part of risk management and are sought after in the marketplace.

Crop rotation built around winter cereals

For more than 30 years fall-seeded crops have been a key part of this Peace River region farm business plan

Growing winter cereals is anything but an afterthought on the Meyer farm in the central Alberta Peace River region. For the past 30 years, the family farm at Woking, which is about 45 minutes north of Grande Prairie, has included winter cereals in the rotation, and particularly over the past 10 years, winter crops have […] Read more

Screenshot from an Alberta Agriculture video profiling Innisfail-based pulse and grain handler W.A. Grain and Pulse Solutions. (Alberta Agriculture and Forestry via YouTube)

W.A. Grain’s farmer suppliers to get 80 cents on dollar

CGC program to provide $5.6 million of $7.1 million owed

Farmers owed $7.1 million by W.A. Grain and Pulse Solutions, which had facilities in Alberta and Saskatchewan, will get $5.6 million, or about 80 per cent of the money owed to them, via the Canadian Grain Commission’s (CGC) Safeguards for Grain Farmers Program. “While we regret producers didn’t get 100 per cent (of what they […] Read more


A chickpea and flax intercrop mix on Colin Rosengren’s farm in Midale, Sask.

Safe bets for intercrop mixes

An experienced Saskatchewan farmer shares how two intercrop mixes have provided several benefits for his operation

Intercropping has been used for ages by farmers around the world as a way to boost overall crop production. With monocultures now dominating Prairie farms, you don’t see much of it these days. However, that could change as regenerative agriculture practices like intercropping continue to gain a foothold in Western Canada.  Colin Rosengren is a […] Read more

(4loops/iStock/Getty Images)

Pulse weekly outlook: Manitoba growers hope timely rains follow snows

High N prices may favour pulse acres

MarketsFarm — As March 1 marked the start of meteorological spring, it feels like anything but that in southern Manitoba. One of the snowiest and coldest winters in years has been a mixed blessing for pulse growers, providing much-needed moisture for fields while also raising flood fears in some areas. Dennis Lange, a pulse specialist […] Read more


Four generations of the Cole family enjoying a harvest meal in the field at the family farm near Coronation, Alta.

New investment model provides capital for land acquisitions and farmland improvement

With investments from Area One Farms, an Alberta farmer expands his operation so his kids and their families can return home to farm

It was seven or so years ago that Kurt Cole realized he needed a bigger farm. Three of his five daughters and their families wanted to return home to farm with Cole, so the Alberta grain producer started searching for a way to raise $7 million — the price tag for some nearby land belonging […] Read more

Germination and vigour have been affected by damage to pulse crop seeds. Extremely dry conditions during the growing season and at harvest and a period of extremely cold conditions for a few weeks in early winter contributed to increased levels of seed cracking as shown in the yellow peas above.

Seed quality, seed supply and management tips for 2022

Deal with reputable seed suppliers and make sure all seed batches are tested ahead of the seeding season

Not that it is a major news blast, but if they haven’t done so already western Canadian farmers need to be thinking now about getting seed sources lined up for the 2022 growing season. Also, if they’re planning to use farm-saved seed, make sure it is properly tested for germination and vigour. The 2021 growing […] Read more


The 70-foot-wide Seed Hawk air drill at Bailla Farms has a 980-bushel tank with four compartments. With sectional controls every 10 feet across the width of the drill, it is very responsive to variable-rate seed and fertilizer placement as it passes over 10 different production zones in each field.

Do SWAT Maps deliver?

Farmers say layered information allows them to apply inputs where they do the most good

Colin Rosengren and Kelly Baillargeon farm on almost opposite ends of Saskatchewan, yet they have the same thinking when it comes to what they expect from precision farming and variable-rate technology (VRT). Rosengren owns Rosengren Farms along with family members at Midale, in southeast Saskatchewan, while about 650 kilometres to the northwest, Baillargeon owns Bailla […] Read more

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

Pulse weekly outlook: Four factors to consider before going with peas

MarketsFarm — There are four factors to consider before deciding whether to plant dry peas this spring, according to Darryl Domitruk, executive director of Manitoba Pulse and Soybean Growers at Carman, Man. The first is field selection, as peas need to be planted with less residuals such as nitrates, Domitruk said. “Pulses manufacture their own […] Read more