Harvesting in Saskatchewan is in the home stretch as warm and dry conditions for the week ended Sept. 30 saw a 12-point gain to 91 per cent complete, the provincial agriculture department reported.
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Combining in Saskatchewan ahead of five-year average
Saskatchewan Crop Report: Harvest nears 80 per cent despite rain
Despite rainfall across Saskatchewan, the province's harvest still advanced five points at 79 per cent complete as of Sept. 23. This year's pace is currently ahead of the five-year and 10-year averages.
Night spraying for forage pest can spare pollinators
Spraying after sundown is also more effective in controlling lesser clover leaf weevil
Glacier FarmMedia — Prairie forage growers who plan to spray for a particular problem pest, but want to avoid collateral damage to more beneficial insects, may get their best and cleanest shot in the dark. Forage and seed producers heard about the benefits of night spraying for red clover crops during the Saskatchewan Forage Seed […] Read more
Shop smart when selecting seed for salt tolerance
Soil tests are recommended before deciding how best to manage salinity
Glacier FarmMedia — Producers in Saskatchewan and Manitoba are asking plenty of questions about how to manage salinity in their soil. Jeff Schoenau, a soil science professor with the University of Saskatchewan, is among those fielding questions, although he says the amount of visible salinity in his province is “normal” for April. “I think probably […] Read more
An EU forage tour shows value of seed science
Farmers should make sure to take advantage of advances in forage varieties
I was given the unique opportunity to participate in a forage tour in the Netherlands and France hosted by Union Forage last August. This was a fantastic chance to see new developments but also to put boots on the ground and see what drives the forage industry in Europe and globally. It was reiterated over […] Read more
Pastures, hayland get a leg up with legumes
Climate program funds allow Canadian-bred non-bloating legumes such as sainfoin to gain ground
A former Alberta provincial forage and livestock business specialist, now working with seed supplier Union Forage, Grant Lastiwka has studied forages in grazing systems for a long time. Over that time, he’s found certain legumes can bring net benefits to pastures and forage stands — significant enough to outweigh the potential drawbacks. Eleven years ago, […] Read more
Bless your mess: Crops may not be best for underperforming acres
Taking poorer-producing ‘messy’ landscapes out of crops may improve fields’ economics and farms’ sustainability
UPDATED, March 7 — It might be difficult to consider “messy” fields as a pathway to improved crop production and profitability. But in the early going, a Prairie-wide university-developed research project suggests taking poor-producing acres out of annual crop production might be a means of improving overall efficiency, as well as the all-important bottom line. […] Read more
Satellite-based insurance may be future of forage risk management
Analysis from above could be an accurate, timely way to measure forage growth
Glacier FarmMedia — Satellite-based insurance technology could be a way to protect beef producers during times of drought. There’s more interest in forage insurance during recent droughty times on the Prairies, but evaluating local forage risk is challenging. “Weather events are becoming more acute in severity and frequency, you know the drought of 2023, 2021,” […] Read more
Alfalfa replant disease and related disorders
Whatever the cause, we can realize it's a problem and try to avoid it
Back in the 1980s I spent a lot of time on alfalfa diseases, particularly the verticillium wilt disease problem that was spreading across the Prairies, particularly in southern Alberta. In a few snow-free and cold Decembers in those years, a lot of damage was done to alfalfa, winterkilling entire fields of three-year-old stands. Even white […] Read more
Compostable bale wrap heads toward wide release
Nature's Net Wrap an environment-friendly alternative to long-lived plastic
Virtually every cattle farmer and rancher has tripped over an old piece of plastic baler twine or net wrap stuck in the ground in a corral or bale yard. The stuff just never seems to go away. But an entrepreneurial Alberta ranching family has come up with a solution to eliminate that problem with a […] Read more
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