One key message looking at the coming 2021 seeding and growing seasons from a panel of western Canadian agronomists and crop advisors in late March — pay attention to the details. That may seem like a no-brainer, but the agronomists point out there are plenty of important dos and don’ts — some small, some not […] Read more
Crop advisor dos and don’ts for #Plant21
A few pointers on what goes into optimizing crop production and profitability
Wild pigs continue to flourish
Control measures are being developed, although it’s unlikely to ever get them all
I am back on the trail of wild boars in Western Canada after a call from a farmer at Moosomin, in southeast Saskatchewan, who asked if there had been any progress in controlling or eradicating the pest. The short answer — no. From what I can see, the wild boar numbers appear to be increasing, […] Read more
Weed control efforts off to a good start
There’s more than one way to approach spring weed treatments — Prairie producers discuss their strategies to control competitive weeds
Weed pressure usually isn’t too serious of a problem for most western Canadian crops in March or even early April, especially if there is still snow on the ground, but it’s a topic on many farmers’ radars as they plan for the coming growing season. For several producers in Western Canada, talking about weed control […] Read more
High tech research to produce down to earth beef herd management tools
Great things coming from the U of S Livestock and Forage Centre of Excellence
Hang on to your cowboy hat, or maybe it should be your mass spectrometer — a team of researchers working through the University of Saskatchewan has just received about $6.75 million to launch a major project, using technology at the molecular level which should help Canadian beef producers produce more efficient and productive animals. Dr. […] Read more
Rotation, rotation, rotation are a farmer’s best friend in the field
Not rotating crops and chemistries might just be the opportunity crop pests were waiting for
[UPDATED: April 1, 2021] Rotation isn’t a new word, but applying it to all aspects of annual crop production might be a newer concept for western Canadian farmers looking to keep a step ahead of various crop pests, say specialists with Corteva Agriscience. A proper crop rotation, a proper variety rotation, a proper herbicide rotation, […] Read more
Harvey Dann with a proposal about crop quality
Measuring quality and producing crops with the specifications the food industry wants
Harvey Dann, a not-retired Manitoba marketer and key figure in the Western Canadian livestock industry for many years is looking for some progressive thinking farmers to invest a few dollars into learning about the quality of the grains, oilseeds and pulse crops they produce. By knowing quality and establishing benchmarks on a wide range of […] Read more
Taking the soil microbiome to lunch
Research is just starting to reveal life below the soil surface
Any farmer who has ever asked questions about whether the wide range of crop biological products are necessary and really work to benefit the soil or serve to improve crop yield and quality need to keep asking questions. It is not that the marketplace is full of suspect product claims — the biological industry has […] Read more
Beef producers shut out of COVID-19 RETURNS
Consumers paid more for beef, but somehow that didn't reach back to farmers
(Editors Note: Karen Spencer with the University of Calgary School of Public Policy had a look at consumer and beef industry trends (and numbers) over the past year of the COVID-19 pandemic, and although consumers were very supportive of beef and retailers and processors did pretty well, guess what? Livestock producers and feedlot operators tended […] Read more
Step out of comfort zone with 2021 crop year
Consider higher inputs, but also have safety nets in place
When it comes to crop production and marketing, 2021 is not the year to get wimpy according to some leading Western Canadian agriculture advisors. With some really strong markets across most major commodities don’t let fear get in the way — just go for it. That might be somewhat of an over simplification, but it […] Read more
Facial recognition comes to your cowherd
Forget about numbers and letters, BETSY can identify the smile on any Hereford or Holstein and any breed combination in between
The longer I am around the agriculture industry, it seems the more interested I become in seeing what happens next. In a column that appeared in early March, I talked about when I arrived on the scene of the family farm in eastern Ontario in the 1950s. It was at a time when real or […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
