barley - Glen Nicoll

Reduce your malt barley risk

Plant barley on field pea stubble, limit fungicide and reduce nitrogen application

What are the biggest risks on producers’ radars when it comes to growing malting barley? Some might say yield losses, some might say disease, and some might say reduced kernel quality or high protein levels — or a combination of all of these problems and more. New research customizes malting barley systems based on producers’ […] Read more


(Doug Wilson photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

Oat crop quality varies with moisture damage

CNS Canada — Oat quality is mixed across Western Canada, one buyer says, as moisture caused damage to not-yet-harvested grains. “Any oats that are still out there that have had substantial amounts of rain are likely not going to make milling spec,” said Ryan McKnight of Linear Grain. The portion of production usable for the […] Read more

Mildew damage on individual kernels of CWRS wheat. (GrainsCanada.gc.ca)

Canada resets mildew grading standards on milling wheat

Canada’s visual grading standards for mildew in Prairie milling wheat have been relaxed to reflect what’s now known about the actual quality of affected wheat. The Canadian Grain Commission on Friday announced new mildew guidelines, “effective immediately,” for western Canadian milling wheat classes, to allow for an “increased presence” of mildew in visual guides and […] Read more



The system consists of an air lock under the bin or a meter where the grain flows through into the airstream and then a blower that pneumatically moves the air to the bins. A moveable distributor at ground level channels the grain to different bins. The initial cost of this pneumatic grain-handling system was $60,000, but the Neufelds believe it has been worthwhile. (see more photos below)

Grain Handling: A better way to move that corn

A pneumatic grain-handling system adds efficiency to grain handling on the family farm

The Neufelds have been growing corn on the family farm, Maple Creek Acres, since the 1990s, but when they decided to significantly expand their corn acres a few years ago they had a few issues to resolve in terms of corn drying and storing. “We were spending a bunch a time in the morning and […] Read more






Prevention not always the best bet

Prevention not always the best bet

Sometimes, applying fungicide to durum as a preventative measure could increase disease

Better safe than sorry” is a mantra many producers live by. But in the case of durum, they might be better off ignoring it — at least when it comes to early and repeated fungicide applications. Dr. Bill May, a Crop Management Agronomist for Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Indian Head Research Farm, and Dr. Myriam […] Read more