The summer of 2009 may not provide the best showcase for the potential of winter pulse crops, but Alberta Agriculture specialist Mark Olson thinks these fall-seeded varieties — especially winter peas — have potential in Western Canadian crop rotations. All winter pulse trials with peas, lentils and faba beans appeared to survive the winter of […] Read more
Peas, The Next Winter Crop
Grass in Saskatchewan, Ontario wet
Anyone looking for a couple months of grazing for a couple hundred head of yearlings, may want to call Rodger Savory near Yorkton, Saskatchewan. Rodger is a friend of a friend, and apparently has enough pasture for two months and also has winter grazing available. That part of the country was blessed with a bit […] Read more
My iron-clad weather forecast
I shouldn’t always show disrespect for concern over global warming, but to be honest it is hard to pay it much heed, just by looking out the window. It wasn’t too long ago – early July – they were scrapping frost off the windshields near Camrose, Alberta – and that was after a cool dry […] Read more
Bright future, yes. But what about today?
It was interesting to note last week that as beef producers were gathered at a conference in Calgary to hear a message that the recession is coming to an end and there is great long term opportunity for the agriculture industry, hog producers were holding a rally a few blocks away to say if they […] Read more
Map shows where the Christians live
Prairie moisture 30 day.pdfAs if farmers and ranchers didn’t know it by looking out the window, this prairie soil moisture map from Agriculture Canada tells a pretty graphic story about how dry it is and where, across Western Canada. This map is as of June 21 so things can change, although I don’t think they […] Read more
Calgary Stampede starts July 3
The Calgary Stampede made me a great lunch yesterday, so I need to remind readers that the greatest outdoor show on earth is coming up July 3 to 12. While officials promise the event will be bigger and better than ever, I’m just hoping my favorite mini-doughnut stand is in the same location as always […] Read more
Feeding cattle in a drought
Alberta beef producers interested in some advice on how to manage cattle and pastures in light of the cool, dry growing conditions should attend one of the six upcoming information meetings being held around the province. Starting next Tuesday, June 16, evening meetings will be held in the following locations; June 16, Claresholm Community Centre […] Read more
When you shift from spraying weeds to spraying disease, you have to make adjustments in the way you set the sprayer. You need to anticipate diseases you can’t yet see, and your sprays have to penetrate dense canopy
You know where to look for weeds. You can see them and you can usually tell when they’ve been controlled. But disease control is a totally different cat. Crop disease management takes some thinking ahead. In many cases you have to make a spray decision based on the risk of disease development because by the […] Read more
Economics Favour Grain Rings
Permanent steel grain bins to hold every bushel of crop produced would be a great thing, but as producers contacted for this month’s farmer panel point out, there is an ugly and pervasive reality in agriculture: sometimes (often) the economics just aren’t there. With permanent bins costing about $3 per bushel, depending on size and […] Read more
Put The Cart Before The Combine
Grain carts cost anywhere from $35,000 to $80,000, depending on size and features, but if you can eliminate a truck and driver or even a combine and operator during harvest, the savings of these 500 to 2,000 bushel capacity shuttles can be recovered in just a year or two. Added to that, say manufacturers and […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
