Crops
The Prairie Oat Growers Association is pushing back against allegations that Canadian oats are contaminated with chemicals from a plant growth regulator.
Crops
Oat producers call chlormequat report fear mongering
Environmental Working Group blames Canadian producers for residues of plant growth regulator found in oat products
Fruit growing on Prairie farms
Part 5 of a series on Prairie farm gardens
Fruit growing on the Canadian Prairies is much easier and more rewarding than most people ever imagine. I am an avid fruit grower on my Alberta acreage, growing everything from plums, pears, grapes, apples and cherries to currants and raspberries. You name it, I am growing it. I am familiar with backyard Prairie gardens all […] Read more
Nitrogen use in corn re-examined
Research from the U.S. Midwest sparks controversy, but the solution may be easier
Glacier FarmMedia — When it comes to nitrogen use in corn, it’s always been a question of how much to apply. University of Illinois research on the source of N — that is, how much a corn plant gets from fertilizer and how much from soil — has initiated a considerable amount of debate since […] Read more
Researchers to put numbers to verticillium yield loss
The team behind blackleg and clubroot yield loss models tackles the newer canola disease
Glacier FarmMedia — Canola industry leaders have been worried about verticillium stripe and its impact on crop yields for several years. Reports out of Europe suggest the fungal disease could cause losses of 10 to 50 per cent on oilseed rape. However, extreme losses are usually confined to a small number of fields in England […] Read more
Old corn pest returns with new threat
Some populations of European corn borer have shown Bt resistance in Manitoba and elsewhere
Glacier FarmMedia — Bt corn hybrids have been the story of success in transgenic innovation, a gold standard of biotech pest management, first with European corn borer (ECB) and then corn rootworm (CRW). Now comes a case from Truro, N.S., where a resistant corn borer population confirmed in 2018 also appears resistant to another protein. […] Read more
Feed barley under pressure, but opportunities available
Corn downturn likely to keep feedlots looking to extend coverage
Feed barley bids in Western Canada remained under pressure in mid-February amid continued imports of corn from the United States and the relatively mild Prairie winter. However, localized spot opportunities do pop up occasionally.
Winter fruit, part 2: Peaches
Every summer, whenever Mom and I go to one of the small-town farmers’ markets in our neighbourhood, she pulls out a pot when we get back to her house and sets a simple syrup to simmering. She doesn’t ask for help — her vision is failing, but she knows her way around her bungalow — […] Read more
Get urea booked sooner rather than later, trader says
Farmers will want to lock in supplies before seasonal demand kicks in
Glacier FarmMedia – The global urea market is in a period of mixed signals. Buyers in Australia and Southeast Asia made purchases in early January, putting upward pressure on prices. Plus, stocks in North America are relatively low, which is also supportive. On the other side of the coin, China may delay exports until the […] Read more
Field-scale trials with wheat present seeding and yield mystery
Trials see little yield difference by boosting seed count -- but don't plant less
Glacier FarmMedia — Call it an agronomic mystery. It’s been proven time and time again that, barring unforeseen challenges, the more seeds planted, the more crop harvested. But those aren’t the results the Alberta Grains Plot2Farm program has seen in its field-scale trials on spring wheat. Four years of field trials have consistently shown that […] Read more
U.S. grains: Wheat rises nearly four per cent on short-covering, corn and soy climb
Chicago | Reuters – Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) wheat futures rose nearly four per cent on Tuesday, rebounding from life-of-contract lows as a softer dollar and the approach of the spring growing season in the northern hemisphere sparked a short-covering rally, analysts said. CBOT corn and soybeans also closed higher but hovered near multi-year […] Read more