What’s in a name? The big imposing animals that roamed the North American prairies and northern woodlands were called buffalo. Strictly speaking, buffalo are African and Asian cattle, distinct species from the North American and European animals. Technically and biologically speaking, our buffalo are not buffalo but bison. The North American Plains buffalo is classified […] Read more
Bison, buffalo and beefalo
A brief history of the North American bison and how its story almost ended in extinction
How to produce quality hay horse owners want to buy
Taking crops off your hay land is much the same as cropping it to wheat or canola
What is hay? Recent hamburger commercials keep referring to grass-fed beef. If you feed your cattle hay, are they still grass fed? All the year round, grass feeding occurs in very few areas of the world. In most of North America, hay is fed up to six or seven months of the year. Bison or […] Read more
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 look at wheat and canola field crop diseases
What can you expect in 2022?
The word disease literally means not at ease (dis-ease). For a comprehensive review of all important diseases on the Canadian Prairies look out for the soon-to-be published, revised edition of Diseases of Field Crops in Canada. Crop diseases range from disease-causing fungi, bacteria, viruses and nematodes to nutritional problems. There are far too many diseases […] Read more
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
The coyote conundrum continues
The coyote is guilty of livestock predation, but how does this cost compare with farm crop value gains?
When I lived in rural Alberta in the 1970s, I knew more than a few farmers and acreage owners who supplemented their incomes, sometimes substantially, with coyote pelts. The price for good pelts at that time was up to $100 or more. Today, with the advent of synthetic furs and an anti-wild-animal-product public atmosphere, coyote […] Read more
Anticipate herbicide damage
After a very dry year followed by a cold winter, watch for residual herbicides
Last year, it was very dry over much of the Prairies. Your lower-than-expected yields have got you calculating how much nutrients/fertilizer are left in your grain or oilseed fields. Also to consider is how much herbicide residue is left in some of your fields. What crops do you intend seeding this spring? Canola, perhaps, due […] Read more
Dogs, more dogs and farm dogs
Working breeds for the farm and for herding cattle or sheep
Over the past 50 years, I have visited not hundreds but thousands of farmyards in Canada and the United States. I can hardly remember any yards that did not have one or more resident dogs. They came in all shapes and sizes from St. Bernards to tiny Yorkshire Terriers. For many farmers, the farm dogs […] Read more
A closer look at ergot
Get your soils tested for copper levels if you get ergot in wheat, barley or oats, and if crops lodge easily and the grain is poor quality
Let’s get this story on track once and for all. Ergot, as we know it in Canada, is a fungal infection of cereal grains and grasses. The word ergot is derived from the French word argot, meaning a spur. Ergots form within grain heads and displace the developing seed or grain. Ergot size may depend […] Read more
Bring on the boron
Boron deficiency can cause failure to set seed and ergot infection
Over the last few years in the Prairies, there has been something of a resurgence of interest in boron. This micronutrient is critical for normal plant growth, particularly crop maturity, and water balance — and is a key factor in seed set and crop yield. In man and animals, this micronutrient is essential for weight […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
