When Canada’s top weed scientists gathered in Winnipeg for their annual meeting, glyphosate resistance was on their minds
Public and private sector weed scientists agree integrated weed management, rather than any magic-bullet chemistry, will be the way forward to maintain viable fields against herbicide-resistant weeds. Scientists from across Canada gathered in Winnipeg in November to discuss new research at the Canadian Weed Science Society’s 66th annual conference. Much of the research on the […] Read moreHow to resist resistance
Les Henry’s earthworm survey
As you can read in his column on page 22, this issue marks 36 years of Les Henry’s contributions to Grainews. In the last issue, Les Henry put out a call for information about your experiences with earthworms in the field. We’ve had a great response so far, both from readers who think earthworms are […] Read more
Producer cars in the new marketing era
Between changes to Western Canada’s grain marketing system and evolving Canadian Grain Commission (CGC) regulations, some farmers have concerns about the long-term viability of producer cars as a shipping option. Anything could happen in the long-term, but at the start of the 2012-13 crop year, producer cars are still going strong. Tim Coulter says CWB and the […] Read more
Editor’s Column
“Yes, we’d love to come to your barbecue! But only if it’s raining.” “What? We were supposed to RSVP? Well, we’re here now! And there’s always room for one more at a wedding, right?” If you’ve found yourself saying one of those lines or something like them, maybe you’re a farmer. (Or at least married […] Read more
Editor’s Column
When our phone rang at 6:45, we knew who it would be before my husband picked it up. “Just as well,” I heard my husband say. “I wasn’t looking forward to going out there to move enough snow out of the lane so you could turn around in the yard.” It was too dangerous for […] Read more
Minogue: New Triffid-free flaxes in pipeline for 2014
Shane Stokke, a director on the board of the Saskatchewan Flax Development Commission, is very optimistic about the future of flax. Speaking to farmers here at Flax Day 2013, the Watrous, Sask. grower put it this way: "Flax is the highest net profit crop that I can grow." Canada’s flax was shut out of European […] Read more
Minogue: Weed scientists ponder ways to resist resistance
Public and private sector weed scientists agree integrated weed management, rather than any magic-bullet chemistry, will be the way forward to maintain viable fields against herbicide-resistant weeds. Scientists from across Canada are gathered in Winnipeg this week to discuss new research at the Canadian Weed Science Society’s 66th annual conference. Much of the research on […] Read more
Editor’s Column: The last lunch
For most farmers across the Prairies, harvest is over. At our farm, we managed to get the crop off without any major problems, but yields were not what we hoped. We aren’t alone. On Oct. 4, Statistics Canada released its September crop estimates, reporting a 17.5 per cent drop in canola yields compared with last […] Read more
Seed capital seen growing for FNA fertilizer project
Midway through a 50-stop information blitz with 18 meetings across the Prairies in seven days, Farmers of North America (FNA) appears to see a strong show of support for its new project. The Saskatoon-based ag input buying group reports its farmer members have already bought more than 1,600 "seed capital units" — $1,000 investments in […] Read more
Minogue: Impacts from AgriStability reform may be major
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) on Sept. 14 announced changes to Canada’s farm programs for 2013. While several details have yet to be nailed down or announced, it is clear that these changes will mean a less lucrative program for Canadian farmers. For the past few months, farmers have been aware of the federal government’s […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
