Cover crops not only improve soil health and bump yields, but also increase profitability, a U.S. farmer told farm show delegates in San Antonio. Jamie Scott was part of a panel at the 2014 Commodity Classic this past February. Scott uses cover crops on his Indiana farm and coordinates the seeding of cover crops on another 100,000 […] Read more
Cover crops increase profitability
Panelists shared cover crop success stories at the Commodity Classic conference in San Antonio
Controlled traffic farming
As machinery gets bigger, that extra weight seems to take a toll on crop growth. Controlled traffic farming may offer a solution
From Grainews, Feb. 4, 2014, page 8: Controlled traffic farming uses tramlines to separate crop production zones and traffic lanes, Peter Gamache explains. “In practice, that means all implements have a particular span or multiples of (the tramline) and all wheel tracks are confined to specific traffic lanes.” Gamache led a three-year project examining the effects […] Read more
Up and coming pea varieties
CDC Meadow and CDC Golden are currently the acreage kings for yellow peas in Saskatchewan. But two young guns could usurp one leader. CDC Saffron and Amarillo “could take the place of Meadow, for example.” Dr. Tom Warkentin told CropSphere delegates in Saskatoon last January. Warkentin specializes in pulse breeding and research at the University of […] Read more
Guenther: NW Sask. growers hustle within seeding window
Jay Millard is chipper so far this seeding season. “The weather’s been good. It’s warmed up and things are growing. That’s as good as it gets,” he said. Millard farms about 3,500 acres in the Livelong area, about 90 km northwest of North Battleford, Sask. As of Friday he has about 2,000 acres under his […] Read more
U.S. won’t move on COOL before WTO does, Ritz says
Canada’s trade pact with the U.S. and Mexico, which came into effect 20 years ago back in January, has long been a point of pride for free-trade advocates. Federal Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz, in Mexico this week meeting with his U.S. and Mexican counterparts, told reporters the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) “has proven […] Read more
Cleaning to prevent clubroot
Clubroot can spread from farm to farm, or come in from other sources
Sometimes energy companies are prime suspects when it comes to clubroot contamination in western Canadian farmland. But Encana has developed strict cleaning procedures to minimize that risk, one company leader told FarmTech delegates in Edmonton. Many of Encana’s Alberta sites tap into farmland in south central Alberta. These coalbed methane wells produce sweet gas and […] Read more
CP, grain handlers plan for face time
Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) and players in the Prairie grain industry are ready to sit down at the same table and discuss logistics issues, representatives from both industries said. In a media release last week, CP CEO Hunter Harrison said the railway has contacted customers and stakeholders such as the Western Grain Elevator Association (WGEA). […] Read more
Guenther: Trade’s eyes on U.S. winter wheat in crop report
Drought in the southwestern U.S. Plains is expected to focus traders on hard red winter wheat numbers in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s next crop production report due out Friday. “The trade currently looks for about 780 million bushels, which is above the 2013 level but well below a 10-year average of nearly 900 million bu.,” […] Read more
Guenther: How cold is too cold for soil at seeding?
Spring snow may have unleashed a litany of complaints among Saskatchewan residents — but has also brought relief to parched soils in the province’s northwest. Errin Tollefson, an agronomist with Cavalier Agrow at Medstead, Sask., about 170 km west of Prince Albert, said last fall was the driest she’s seen in her 10 years of […] Read more
Perverse incentives in the system
Speakers at the Grain Handling and Transportation Summit discussed incentives, regulations and grain transportation system bottlenecks
Perverse incentives” within the transportation system make solutions unlikely under current regulations, a farmer told industry at a recent grain transportation summit. Currently there’s no one with an interest in collective service issues that affect farmers, Ian McCreary told delegates at Saskatoon’s Grain Handling and Transportation Summit in March. McCreary farms near Bladworth, Sask., and […] Read more
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