Monsanto’s Roundup Ready 2 Xtend Soybeans will be available to order in Canada this fall, though approval for the dicamba and glyphosate tolerance trait is still pending from the European Union and China. The product will be released in the United States and Canada only after full approval is achieved from key soybean importing nations. […] Read more
Xtend soybeans nearing market release
Growers can order these now, and keep their discounts if Monsanto’s plans fall through
Irrigation key to Alberta’s economy
Study shows that irrigated agriculture contributes $3.6B to Alberta's GDP
A new study claims that irrigation agriculture is increasingly vital to Alberta’s economy, and irrigation farmers are key contributors. “The Economic Value of Irrigation in Alberta,” a study commissioned by the Alberta Irrigation Projects Association (AIPA) and funded through Growing Forward 2, claims that combined annual sales of irrigation crop and livestock products generated about […] Read more
McDonald’s touts profitable sustainability
Chain restaurant rep says McDonald's is committed to Canadian ag's long-term success
Sustainable agriculture must be pre-competitive.” This phrase was repeated several times by Jeffrey Fitzpatrick-Stilwell, McDonald’s Canada’s senior manager for sustainability, during a seminar at the University of Manitoba on September 28. Fitzpatrick-Stilwell’s lecture, “McDonald’s Perspective on Sustainable Food Systems,” was put on by the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences, and sponsored by the National Centre […] Read more
Commodity streaming for farm finance
Input Capital offers working capital to finance inputs for western Canadian canola growers
Commodity streaming is a term most Canadians associate with the mining industry, if they’ve heard it at all. But over the next several years, they may be hearing it more and more, along with the name Input Capital, the Regina-based company that introduced it to western Canadian agriculture. Input Capital, whose shares trade on the […] Read more
Producer group promotes barley
MWBGA is putting its research dollars into fusarium head blight resistance
The Manitoba Wheat and Barley Growers Association (MWBGA) says it is committed to research and market development of wheat and barley in the province, including one project focused on genomic selection for improving two-row malting barley. Officially established on January 1, 2014, MWBGA is funded by Manitoba farmers through a checkoff on wheat and barley. […] Read more
Canola straight cutting on the rise
Some growers are ditching their swathers in favour of straight combining in canola fields
Straight cutting is common practice for cereal crops, but canola presents unique challenges, particularly the risk of pod shatter, that have kept growers from adopting the practice. But that may be changing. According to a recent BASF Canada survey, the number of growers straight cutting canola rose by 50 per cent from 2013 to 2014’s […] Read more
Cereal cyst nematodes getting closer to the Prairies
These nematodes are in Montana, and their symptoms are worse in drought conditions
Prairie grain producers should be on the lookout for cereal cyst nematodes (CCN) this year. This soil-borne pest has not yet been discovered in the Prairie provinces, but the species Heterodera filipjevi has been newly confirmed in Montana. Cereal cyst nematodes are worm-shaped, microscopic soil-dwelling organisms that can cause yield losses of 30 to 50 […] Read more
Hard water hampers weed control
To get the most from the herbicides you’re spraying in your field, check your water quality first
A North Dakota State University extension specialist says the performance of some herbicides can be adversely affected by using hard water to prepare spray mixtures. According to Richard Zollinger, there are a variety of water quality issues that can impact herbicide efficacy, including the presence of clay, silt or organic matter in the water. But […] Read more
Mulch-based weed control
Using mulch as a weed control strategy isn’t just for organic growers anymore
As conventional farmers search for a wider variety of tools to control hard-to-kill weeds, a Manitoba research has found that mulches may help. Martin Entz, a researcher at the University of Manitoba’s Plant Sciences Department, has led or participated in several recent studies of weed control through the use of mulch. “One of the first […] Read more
Price impacts soy seeding rates
Researchers say growers should evaluate input costs, plant survival rate
According to a recently completed three-year study into the effects of lower seeding rates on soybean yields, growers must pay attention to both the cost of seed and individual plant survival rates when making seeding rate decisions. This is one of the conclusions in a study by Ron Tone, Jordan Karpinchick and Elizabeth Karpinchick of […] Read more
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