Jitendra Paliwal (left) adjusts the antennae on the 3D electromagnetic imaging system at the U of M’s grain storage research laboratory while Paul Card (right) watches.

Detecting grain spoilage in the bin before it starts

An adaptation of cancer-screening technology offers a better and safer way to check for grain bin moisture, with a bonus of theft detection

An electromagnetic imaging technique originally designed to detect breast cancer tumours is now being adapted for a totally different use — locating spoiled grain in bins. The research project at the University of Manitoba uses electromagnetic imaging (EMI) to create a 3D profile of a bin, showing pockets of moisture which can overheat and spoil. […] Read more

For all three setups, Chad Bown had the heater between the fan and the bin. This fan-heater-bin sequence is recommended for canola.

Turn up the heat on aeration fans when drying canola

Some growers grappling with a late harvest and high-moisture crops in 2016 added supplemental heaters to their aeration fans. This grower’s experience may inspire an upgrade to aeration setups for 2017

Things were a little off with Harvest 2016 and Chad Bown was desperate. The farmer from Ranfurly, Alta., was combining 14 per cent moisture canola in late November after a month or more of snow delays. Delivery locations were full, so on-farm storage was his only option. But aeration fans blowing cool air could not […] Read more


(Dave Bedard photo)

ICE weekly outlook: Canola sinks below $500

CNS Canada — As canola heads towards harvest some bearish headwinds have popped up that are keeping the front-month contract below the $500 mark. “There’s been a big reversal since the (U.S. Department of Agriculture) report,” said Keith Ferley of RBC Dominion Securities in Winnipeg. USDA late last week projected the U.S. soybean crop at […] Read more

The plants in the field’s inner region were already starting to bloom, while the plants in the perimeter remained green and weren’t nearly as tall.

Crop Advisor’s Casebook: What’s holding up this canola’s blooming stage?

A Crop Advisor's Solution from the May 16, 2017 issue of Grainews

Kyle farms 2,000 acres of canola, oats and peas west of Yorkton, Sask. He called me the first week of July, last year, when he discovered part of his canola crop wasn’t flowering with the rest of the field. Kyle thought perhaps environmental factors, seeding issues or nutrient deficiencies could be stressing the crop. The […] Read more





Maintaining canola quality in grain bags

Maintaining canola quality in grain bags

Canola acreage is up. Will you need to store some of your harvest in grain bags? Keep the quality high

Researchers from the University of Manitoba have recently published two studies on how canola fares when stored in grain bags for different periods of time. The research was done under Prairie weather conditions, funded by the Canola Council of Canada. Grain bags, sometimes called silo bags, are marketed as temporary storage solutions for farmers who […] Read more



(Dave Bedard photo)

ICE weekly outlook: Canola trades on weather

CNS Canada — It’s the time of year when canola prices closely follow the weather, and while recent rain has caused some losses, the market could hold onto its premium. “In some ways you could say it’s a classic weather market,” said Jon Driedger, senior market analyst at FarmLink Marketing. Prices had gained following dryness […] Read more