University of Saskatchewan student and longtime 4-Her Kadence Johnson has discovered the Next Step Club, a 4-H club for post-secondary students wishing to learn adult skills. (Alberta Farmer photos by Jeff Melchior)

At Ag in Motion: 4-H’ers get bigger-picture view of ag industry

Saskatchewan teens have fun at leading ag show

Whether they were there to learn about leadership, careers in agriculture or just hang out with friends, some happy young people from Saskatchewan 4-H came out in force to Ag in Motion on Wednesday. Shelby Longworth, the provincial programs manager for 4-H Saskatchewan, said the group of older teens wanted to attend for a diverse […] Read more


Regan Ferguson tells of her experience using data on the farm near Melfort at Ag In Motion. (Jeff Melchior photo)

At Ag in Motion: Find a purpose, then buy tech, Prairie grower says

No matter how cutting-edge, digital ag needs to be a fit on your farm

Investing in digital agriculture can be a daunting experience. A producer’s best bet, one northeastern Saskatchewan farmer says, is to do your homework and find a purpose for it on your farm. “You have got to have the root purpose of why you got that technology. Either that or you talk to others to help […] Read more

File photo of a potato field in Alberta’s Lacombe County. (COrthner/iStock/Getty Images)

Alberta potatoes chip in $2.9 billion for Canadian economy

New report verifies what many in industry suspected

Alberta’s potato industry is making a big impact — not just on that province but the entire country. A new report — dubbed a “landmark study” by the Potato Growers of Alberta — revealed the sector drove a total contribution of $2.87 billion to Canada’s economy in 2022. It also notes the nationwide creation of […] Read more


Josh Fankhauser’s intercrop mix of oats, barley, peas and radish. In his
system, intercrops meant for the combine are usually two to three species,
but those intended for forage, such as this one, can include more.

Tried-and-true soil strengthening tips

An Alberta producer offers a look at his soil health tactics

There’s a lot of talk in ag circles today about soil health. Several farmers are looking beyond current soil practices to what can be done to make their soil sustainable in the long run. This is nothing new to Josh Fankhauser. His family has been using practices to build soil health on their southern Alberta […] Read more

Photo: getty images

There’s still a place for swathing in canola operations

If you didn’t plant a shatter-tolerant variety, you’re going to have to swath. But swathing can play a crucial role in other cases as well

Straight cutting is no longer merely an option for harvesting canola — it’s become “the” harvest option. In many cases, the one-pass alternative has replaced swathing completely. “The decision to straight cut canola has been increasingly made for farmers in the past eight years,” says Dane Froese, oilseed specialist with Manitoba Agriculture. “The advent of […] Read more


You might as well call it a tree. This is a Palmer amaranth weed discovered
by an agronomist near the southern Manitoba community of Carman. This
monster weed can grow up to seven or eight feet tall in crop and even
taller and wider when allowed to grow without any competition.

Look out for strange weeds this year

Last year’s hot, dry growing season could have yet another unwanted gift for Prairie farmers — weed species where they’ve never seen them before. A leading weed researcher says last year’s conditions — characterized by long-term drought, extremely hot weather and variable, untimely rains — have created a perfect storm for the expansion of some […] Read more

The development of insecticide resistance happens for the same reason weeds become resistant to herbicides — the overuse of certain crop protection products, says John Gavloski with Manitoba Agriculture.

How to prevent insecticide resistance from developing on your farm

It doesn’t happen often on the Prairies but when it does product overuse is often to blame

Insecticide resistance on the Canadian Prairies is rare. Experts say producers have a pretty good handle on how to manage their insect crop pests with the products they have. But that doesn’t mean resistance doesn’t happen. Resistance in insects occurs for the same basic reason it does in weeds, says a leading entomologist — the […] Read more


The pod shatter ratings system developed by the Canadian canola industry rates cultivars relative to two designated checks, 45H33 and L255PC, which anchor the numerical/descriptive claim based on seed provider data. The “seeds” in the graph depict a greater amount of potential shatter at low ratings to a lower amount of potential shatter at high ratings. They do not represent the exact amounts of seeds that could shatter out, but rather the relative trend in shatter risk.

New tool helps canola producers understand variety-specific pod shatter risks

Rating system provides information needed to make harvest timing decisions

The Canadian canola industry has a new tool for growers who wish to assess the risk of pod shatter in their canola cultivars. Intended to help producers make better harvest timing decisions and analyze crop loss, this system rates pod shatter resistance in canola cultivars on a scale of one to nine. It was designed […] Read more

Taking the time to make a few changes before hitting the field at seeding time can help plump up your piggy bank.

Sask. producer takes a ‘tip-to-tail’ look at seeding efficiencies

Saskatchewan farmer (and former researcher) says small changes can lead to savings over time

Buying a new piece of seeding equipment that promises better efficiency can work for farmers, but don’t forget the small, unsexy things that can help drive efficiency gains and incrementally save you money over time. That was the message of a presentation called, “The Penny-Pincher’s Guide to Seeding Efficiency,” delivered by Nathan Gregg, a Paynton, […] Read more