— TODD HYRA “We estimate use of a resistant variety will prevent $36 per acre of damage.” Midge tolerance is probably the most exciting technology advancement in wheat in the past 50 years,” says Todd Hyra, the western Canadian business manager for SeCan. Hyra is part of the Midge Tolerant Wheat Stewardship team, a group […] Read more
Rules To Grow Midge-Tolerant Wheat
Make Technology Earn Its Keep
Technological capability of new farm equipment is astounding, sure, but for the most part GPS is currently used for straight-as-an-arrow rows and yield monitors are used for record-keeping. One Alberta project is looking for ways to make autosteer and yield mapping do so much more for you. Ken Coles, general manager of the Southern Applied […] Read more
Friendly Oat Outlook Depends On Seeded Acres
A room packed with oat growers waited patiently for Randy Strychar’s outlook on oats at Crop Production Week in Saskatoon. They weren’t disappointed. Oat acres have been declining and abandonment increasing in the face of relatively good demand. “We’re chewing through a smaller oat crop, yes, but at a much faster rate” than the average, […] Read more
Which Wheat Class Yields Best?
As the ethanol industry revved up in Western Canada, farmers on the board of the Western Applied Research Corporation (WARC), based at Scott, Sask., wanted to know just which cereal types and varieties would make the most ethanol. The answer, it turns out, is not as straightforward as you might think. Launched in 2005, WARC […] Read more
The Road To 100-Bushel Canola
In trials, waiting just five to six days to swath (at 50 to 60 per cent seed colour change versus 30 per cent) accounted for a 1.5-bushel yield bump. “It’s one of the few times doing nothing can make you money.” The Prairie-wide canola average yield has nearly doubled in the past 20 years, going […] Read more
Backyard Trials Influence Opener Choice
Allan Oliver has been running trials on his land since the mid-’70s. Some evaluations have resulted in complete crop failures, which are just as valuable as the trials where everything goes right, says the farmer from Aneroid, Sask. “Knowing what not to do or what not to try is just as worth it sometimes,” he […] Read more
Opener Eases Clean Out
When the Battle River Research Group bought its five-foot wide drill 10 years ago, it came with basic no-till discs. These openers worked fine, but had limitations in heavy trash conditions. Since most farmers in the area had moved to direct seeding and zero-till management, the Forestburg, Alta.-based research group wanted its plot work to […] Read more
Enterprise Durum Beams Down
Durum is Canada’s fourth largest crop by area after spring wheat, canola and barley. It covers five to six million acres and accounts for nearly billion dollars in sales each year. Yet, durum seems to fly below the radar of many Canadian farmers. Asheesh (Danny) Singh wants to increase awareness of this important crop. One […] Read more
3 Changes For Cargill Contracts
Cargill has three changes for its specialty oil canola production contracts for 2010. The company will now take 100 per cent of production. It, has made improvedements to the risk-free price hedge option and the risk-free basis program. And it and now offers growers the choice of either a Premium or a Prime Basis contract. […] Read more
Fungicides Boost Yields — Sometimes
Reading the promotion material, you’d think every new variety is the best one yet and every new crop protection product is going to pay for itself many times over. For some, that may very well be the case, but the only tried and true measure of a new product’s value to you is on-farm testing […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
