What to do about volunteer canola in 2020 after “harvest from hell”

What to do about volunteer canola in 2020 after “harvest from hell”

Here are some management steps to control this weed in your fields

Volunteer canola is a significant weed across the Prairies, and given the difficulties with the 2019 harvest, it will likely be a larger issue in the spring of 2020, says Ian Epp, Canola Council of Canada (CCC) agronomy specialist for northwest Saskatchewan. “Fields with overwintering canola or canola that came off late in harvest will […] Read more

The No. 1 cause of compaction is working soil when wet.

How to minimize soil compaction on your farm

Compaction facts, how to tackle it and its effect on your farm’s bottom line

If you’re driving alongside your field before your crop comes up this spring, it will likely be very easy to see the paths your grain carts and combine drove last fall. Look a little closer and you might be able to see the lines your sprayer and even your seeder drove months before harvest. The […] Read more


Other than the immediate downside of ruts, there are long-term implications as well.

The real cost of ruts and what to do about them

Resist the urge to rip deep ruts deeper to break up compacted areas

As the winter’s snow melts across the Prairies, many western Canadian farmers are going to be disappointed to see that those deep ruts caused by last season’s wet harvest conditions are right where farmers left them in the fall. Inconvenient? Absolutely. Ugly? Yes, that too. But a big deal? In fact, ruts are much more […] Read more

Dwayne Beck, research and production manager at the Dakota Lakes Research Farm, spoke at the Regenerative Agriculture Forum in Brandon, Man.

Want to reduce pests and increase profits?

On the Dakota Lakes Research Farm, regenerative ag means good soil, good profits

When a group of farmers near Pierre, South Dakota, established the Dakota Lakes Research Farm in 1986, their main focus was on irrigation and water issues. At the recent Regenerative Agriculture Forum in Brandon, Man., Dakota Lakes research and production manager, Dwayne Beck, described how he and his team have focused on better managing the […] Read more


Closeup of a plowed field, fertile, black soil.

The five principles of soil health

USDA researcher says healthy soil needs a systems approach

At the Regenerative Agriculture Forum in Brandon in November, Jay Fuhrer, soil health specialist with the Natural Resource Conservation Service of the USDA, spoke about soil health. Fuhrer has identified five principles of soil health, and how they work to improve soil health and increase productivity. Fuhrer defined soil health is defined as “the continued […] Read more

Farmers take a look at smaller-scale plots on a tour of the research farm at Carman, Man., in the summer of 2019.

Testing the cover crop hypothesis

Agronomy researchers are catching up with what farmers are doing in their fields

It’s an exciting time for cover crop research. Last summer, many large-scale cover crop trials were underway across the Prairies looking at everything from cover crop combinations, rotations and planting methods to pollinator strips. One of the biggest ongoing projects, funded by Western Grains Research Foundation, Manitoba Wheat and Barley Growers and Manitoba Pulse and […] Read more


Finding the fit for premium fertilizer products

Finding the fit for premium fertilizer products

Good for reducing the environmental footprint, crop production and management

Enhanced efficiency fertilizer (EEF) products that provide a range of benefits in terms of crop production and management, as well as environmental benefits, are likely to play an increasingly important role in coming years of Western Canadian crop production, says Mario Tenuta, a University of Manitoba soil scientist. The products, with familiar brand names such […] Read more

Morris’ Quantum Air Drill had its first public appearance at Canada’s Farm Progress Show and its formal launch at Ag in Motion in 2018. (Grainews photo by Scott Garvey)

Ag equipment maker Morris in creditor protection

Downsizing and staff cuts lie ahead for well known Prairie farm equipment maker Morris Industries as the company enters creditor protection due to a “liquidity crisis.” The Court of Queen’s Bench in Saskatoon on Wednesday approved the Morris Group’s Jan. 3 application, which stays any proceedings or actions against the company until Jan. 18 at […] Read more


Harrows are more effective earlier on, when weeds are at the white thread stage.

Comparing mechanical weed control options

Considering adding a mechanical option to your herbicide rotations? Try these

Mechanical weed control is not anything new. Farmers have been using harrows and various tillage tools to control weeds for centuries, and for organic farmers mechanical weed control remains the only option. What is new is the technology that is available to help make mechanical weeding more efficient and effective, like GPS or camera-guided systems […] Read more

(JimPattison.com)

Pattison to shut one Saskatchewan Deere dealership

Pattison Agriculture’s chain of Deere ag equipment dealerships in Saskatchewan and Manitoba is preparing to cut one link. The Prairie farm equipment sales and service arm of B.C.’s Jim Pattison Group announced Tuesday on its website and social media it will permanently close its dealership at Foam Lake, Sask. effective Dec. 31. The Pattison store […] Read more