In the spring of 2015, Grain Millers announced they wouldn’t buy oats that had been treated with pre-harvest glyphosate. Christian Willenborg was alarmed. “I was alarmed because I really hadn’t heard of an issue. I hadn’t seen an issue,” said Willenborg, assistant professor at the University of Saskatchewan and editor-in-chief of the Canadian Journal of […] Read more
Oats not affected by pre-harvest glyphosate
Despite buyers’ concerns, variety and environment have more impact than glyphosate
Control blood pressure with flax
Reporter's Notebook: New research shows that eating ground flaxseed can lower your blood pressure
One of the interesting side effects of covering agriculture is that influences my eating habits. I get to hear about the research into food uses and health claims of the crops grown in Western Canada. I eat pulses for the fibre and protein. I use canola oil several times a week. I’m not shy about […] Read more
Reporter’s Notebook: The Co-op has everything you need
You can get everything at a co-op, from stories to spinach to investment opportunities
Last fall my husband Corey started working at the lumber desk of the Turtleford Co-op. Besides the benefits, I think the best part of that job is the stories he brings home. There’s the customer who brought in banjos for Corey to fix (Corey is a musician). There’s the banter with one of the local […] Read more
Expert concerned about low phos levels
Stu Brandt is concerned about low phosphorus levels in Saskatchewan soils
Stu Brandt is concerned about Saskatchewan phosphorus levels. Growers have been mining phosphorus since breaking the land, and it’s still happening today, he says. “That’s no longer the most appropriate strategy to be using,” Brandt told delegates at CropSphere in Saskatoon. Brandt is research manager at Northeast Agriculture Research Foundation. Although there’s typically plenty of phosphorus […] Read more
Measuring sclerotinia resistance
How exactly do researchers and plant breeders separate the susceptible from the partially resistant? They use the stem test. The stem test simulates natural sclerotinia infection of canola, Lone Buchwaldt of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada explains. Typically spores colonize petals that adhere to the plant stem. The leaf axle is a hot spot for infections, […] Read more
More sclerotinia resistance coming soon
Researchers are identifying lines with more-robust sclerotinia resistance
There’s good news on the horizon for growers and agronomists wrestling with sclerotinia in canola. Researchers with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) have identified several canola lines with more-robust resistance to sclerotinia. They’ve also learned more about the sclerotinia pathogen and the sclerotinia resistance genes found in some canola lines. Researchers screened nearly 500 Brassica […] Read more
Too many grain cars left out in the cold?
Ag Transport Coalition reports CP rail car performance drops
Walter Moebis came across a strange sight while visiting family near Rycroft, Alta., in mid-January. A line of Canadian National (CN) hopper cars, which he estimated to be four to five miles long, sat on the tracks west of Rycroft. Moebis’ father-in-law said the cars had been there a week or so earlier. When Walter […] Read more
A rough ride ahead for Canadian farmers
Politics and trade may well be changing, and they certainly won’t be boring
As you may have heard, this year marks the 150th anniversary of Confederation. It’s worth taking stock of where we’ve been and where we are now, and so I’m going to use this space to do just that, on issues important to agriculture and rural communities. I’m tapping out this column a few days before […] Read more
Farmers frustrated by sclerotinia
Sclerotinia was rampant in 2016, sometimes even for farmers who sprayed fungicide
If you had a tough time with sclerotinia in your canola crop this past year, you’re not alone. “It is still probably one of the most frustrating diseases that producers deal with,” says Barb Ziesman, provincial specialist in plant disease with Saskatchewan Agriculture. The environment was perfect for disease development across Saskatchewan, says Ziesman. Saskatchewan Agriculture’s annual canola […] Read more
Studying the whole ecosystem
Matthew Mitchell’s research looks at how soybeans are affected by nearby forests
How can farmers produce food while also providing more environmental and societal benefits from the land they’re managing? That is a million dollar question that Dr. Matthew Mitchell is trying to answer. While completing his PhD in natural resource sciences at McGill, Mitchell was part of a larger, two-year study looking at how people affect […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
