Roy Berg may not have been a household name on most Canadian farms and ranches, but if you ever raised cattle and ever matched an Angus or Hereford cow with a Charolais or Simmental bull (or some other combination) you had Roy Berg to thank. Dr. Roy Berg who passed away May 8 in […] Read more
Remembering Roy Berg – beef industry pioneer
Crop pests on farmers’ radars
Farmers are always watchful, but insect damage in crops depends heavily on growing season conditions, and also where you farm
Prairie farmers aren’t expecting a major outbreak of any new crop pests this coming growing season, but those contacted for the May Farmer Panel say they need to be vigilant with seed treatments and prepared for in-crop insecticide applications as the situation warrants. Flea beetles on canola, wireworm in cereals, and seasonal outbreaks of bertha […] Read moreEarly ration critical for bulls
Anyone keeping bull calves for breeding stock needs to pay attention to proper nutrition early in the calf’s life, says an Agriculture Canada researcher in Lethbridge. John Kastelic says research at the centre shows calves on a higher protein and energy ration in the first six months of life have larger scrotal circumference and higher […] Read more
Farmers express qualified support for micronutrients
There seems to be a certain amount of “gut feeling” that supports the use of micronutrient treatments on grain, oilseed and pulse crops according to western Canadian farmers
The benefits may not show as dramatic yield increases, but the crops look better, the maturity seems to even out, and if you dig in the soil, there appears to be improved root development on treated plants — those are all features that suggest that micronutrients are doing something. Some farmers contacted for this Farmer Panel say they see at least […] Read moreTime to give forage its due
Grass isn’t just something that covers the ground until we can find something better to grow. Grass, and the broader category of forages, is a $2 billion dollar crop annually in Alberta and when you start adding its value to the entire Canadian livestock industry, the environment and society in general, well it’s value easily […] Read more
Recalling the hardship of haying
Anyone who says hay has value is nuts. It is an evil thing. I recently had to sit through a daylong meeting in Olds, Alta. where everyone was talking about the great value of forages in general, including hay. They even came up with some fantastic number, claiming that hay and grass is worth about […] Read more
Lee headed to the orphanage
Well the old farm couple that looked after me for the past 60 years are both gone now. I am officially an orphan. The outlook isn’t good. As I said at my Mom’s funeral last week, my sister, Brenda and I are now officially orphans, if anyone wants to adopt us we are available. No […] Read more
Don’t cut corners with canola
There is always interesting research going on but the fundamental canola message hasn’t changed in 30 years. If you want to optimize or maximize yield, seed early, seed shallow, get the plant count up, apply proper fertility and follow at least a two or three year rotation. No matter how you slice it, the 67th […] Read more
An inspired work on home maintenance
Watch for my new book, “Painting in High Risk Situations”…the subtitle for this is “painting baseboards white with a new brown carpet”. It is a fool’s game. You have to buy the book for all details but here are a few highlights. Start with a good quality paint, but note even though it says it […] Read more
Mix it up to reduce herbicide tolerance
It’s doing the same thing with the same products year after year that increases the risk of herbicide resistant weeds
The discovery of glyphosate-tolerant kochia in southern Alberta is a wake up call for Western Canadian farmers to pay particular attention to proper herbicide rotation, and also to get back to the basics of good agronomic practices, say weed and herbicide specialists. While this is only one case of glyphosate-tolerant kochia, more are likely to […] Read moreCyber-Savvy Farmer
