Four years later, rancher Eric Lawrence is still feeling the effects of the Maple Creek flood. On June 17 and 18, 2010, a severe rainstorm dropped about 100 mm in Maple Creek, which hugs the north side of the Cypress Hills in southwestern Saskatchewan. The rain fell on the heels of the wettest May and […] Read more
Guenther: In dry SW Sask., past flood damage still lingers
Root rot can be diagnosed, but confirmation may come too late
Root rot caused by aphanomyces can cause yield problems in peas. There’s no easy treatment, but farmers can still take preventative steps
It was early in the 2012 growing season when Bernie McClean realized something was wrong with one of his pea fields. The field had been seeded to peas several times over the years, but in 2012 the crop was “going backwards,” McClean, a Medstead-area farmer, said in an interview. Patches of plants were stunted. As […] Read more
Guenther: Cutworms eye new Prairie soybean acres
Some soybean growers in Saskatchewan’s southeastern corner are dealing with unwelcome dinner guests. Brad Eggum, of Eggum Seed Sales, was scouting a soybean field when he came across cutworms by chance. “The beans were struggling to get through and we were just checking the emergence and started finding (cutworms),” says Eggum, who farms near Halbrite, […] Read more
Make sure you get paid
You’ve grown a great crop and booked a good price. Now make sure you actually get paid
Before you shop a truckload of grain, it’s worth knowing a bit about who you’re selling to and what you’ve got in the bin. Doing your homework could make the difference between getting paid fairly and perhaps not getting paid at all. Under the Canada Grain Act, grain dealers and elevators, including primary and terminal […] Read more
Testing for aphanomyces
Discovery Seed Labs in Saskatoon offers DNA testing for aphanomyces. Farmers should send either soil or plant samples. “As soon as you start to notice symptoms, you can start pulling plants. And we can have a look at it and see what it is,” said Bruce Carriere, owner of Discovery. Carriere suggested sampling from areas […] Read more
Crop trials show profit-raising products
Field trials give farmers a chance to see a product’s real in-field results
Farmers have a plethora of inputs to choose from these days, but one ag retailer hopes to help farmers sort through their options by running field-scale trials in northwestern Saskatchewan. And those trials focus not only on yield, but how likely that product is to provide a return-on-investment (ROI) for local farmers. “Just because a […] Read more
Guenther: Scout now for flea beetles
Flea beetles are on the march and Prairie farmers need to scout canola fields to keep them at bay. “I’ve seen some fields where flea beetles’ levels are high enough where it has warranted spraying. Again, like every year, it is spotty,” Lyndon Hicks said during an interview here during Canada’s Farm Progress Show. Hicks […] Read more
FNA pins down south-central Sask. site for Project N
Regina — Farmers of North America (FNA) will be breaking ground at Belle Plaine, Sask., for its farmer-owned nitrogen plant. “For strategic reasons it’s a very good site,” FNA spokesperson Bob Friesen said in an interview here Wednesday at Canada’s Farm Progress Show. The Belle Plaine site, about 40 km west of Regina, has access […] Read more
Getting those grasshoppers
Most areas won’t have grasshopper problems in 2014. But there are some places where farmers should hone their identification skills
For the most part, Saskatchewan farmers are unlikely to be fighting waves of grasshoppers this year, according to Saskatchewan Agriculture’s 2014 hopper forecast. But Saskatchewan’s 2014 forecast does show one bull’s eye of severe risk. “And in the middle of that bull’s eye is Meadow Lake,” Peter Walsh told farmers at Cavalier Agrow’s farm forum […] Read more
Guenther: Demand, supply carry cattle producers to ‘this year country’
Maple Creek, Sask. — Ranchers are all too familiar with the mindset behind the phrase “next year country,” which implies hope for better times ahead. But as one rancher at the Cow Town Livestock Exchange put it, it looks like they’ve now entered “this year country” instead. It’s no wonder cattle producers feel more optimistic: […] Read more
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