Sometimes I think bureaucrats, politicians, the makers of electronic devices (cell phones/software programs) and a hundred other things just mess with stuff because they have nothing better to do. I was just reading recently where the federal government was asking for input into changing the cash deferral plan producers use when they sell a commodity […] Read more
It ain’t broke, let’s fix it!
How good or bad is that unharvested crop?
Hart Attacks: Farmers and processors won’t really know until quality is tested
I am sensing a muffled drum roll in parts of Western Canada right now as a few thousand farmers across central and northern B.C., Alberta and Saskatchewan are waiting to see what this unharvested crop looks like, when they do have a chance to get it combined. There were several thousand acres — about 10 […] Read more
Tips for hitting malt barley grade
It’s pretty hard to argue with the experience of growers as well as researchers
Tom Hewson admits while there is always room for improving agronomic practices, his track record for producing malt barley has been quite respectable. Hewson, who farms with family members at Langbank, in southeast Saskatchewan, says he has grown malting barley for many years. “I estimate on average about two-thirds of the years, about two-thirds of […] Read more
Contracts a good idea with malt barley
Any farmers planning to grow barley for malting purposes, should try and line up contracts before they seed and know the barley specifications malting companies are looking for, says a grain procurement specialist. For most malting programs a high yielding, high quality barley with plump kernels, 13 per cent seed moisture, with a 95 per […] Read more
2017 bull sale off to good start
Plenty of good events ahead involving people, animals and machinery
Stewart Ainsworth has no complaints after their 48th annual bull sale at the ranch earlier this winter. Ainsworth, who along with family members is part of Lazy S Ranch at Mayerthorpe, Alberta, just northwest of Edmonton, says it wasn’t a record year, “but still we were very pleased with the results” … considering the year, […] Read more
Just for the record, I do have three readers
Hart Attacks: And if you need a climate change speaker call Bruno for a good time
My walk down memory lane through the pages of a 1938 Country Guide magazine (in the Feb. 7, 2017 issue of Grainews), and my deep analysis of the climate change/global warming issue (Jan. 24 issue of Grainews), drew some feedback from several readers. I figured this update would show just how this column can change […] Read more
Producers focus on herbicide rotation
Farmers figure it’s better to avoid herbicide resistance than manage around it
John Berger and Spencer Hilton are southern Alberta farmers doing all they can as part of their crop and herbicide rotation programs to reduce the risk of weeds developing herbicide resistance. Berger, who along with son Brad, crops about 5,000 acres near Nanton, south of Calgary, actually stockpiled some particularly effective chemistries when Monsanto sold […] Read more
Mallards next on the U.S. no-fly list
Hart Attacks: We Canadians cannot control our ducks, and what they carry with them
With a Twitter-happy president south of the border, I predict it is just a matter of time before Canada — and migrating Canadian ducks specifically — receives nasty tweets for pooping out weed seeds on U.S. farms. That would almost be a joke except that President Trump appears to be such an unpredictable character, with […] Read more
Earlier seeding has advantages
Seed according to conditions to optimize moisture, root development and nutrients
It is difficult to have a conversation with plant pathologist and soil fertility specialist Dr. Iuean Evans without hearing the word “copper” and the important role it can play in development of a healthy, high yielding crop. But he also has recently noted that early-bird agronomic practices are important for optimizing soil available nutrients and […] Read more
A goldilocks year, and few found it ‘just right’
Early winter, in the middle of harvest, definitely took its toll
Here’s what you learn when you ask a sampling of western Canadian farmers how 2016 went and what’s ahead for the coming seeding season: Corn and soybeans did very well in 2016. Looking ahead, disease pressure on cereal and pulse crops could change the cropping landscape. An early spring would be a blessing considering there […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
