Photo: Thinkstock

Pulse weekly outlook: AAFC forecasts larger dry pea, lentil crops  

Dry pea prices have seen gains over the week; lentils steady to higher

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada forecasted increases in the production of dry peas and lentils for the 2024/25 crop year compared to those in 2023/24. AAFC issued its first supply and demand report for the calendar year on Jan. 22, which included the department’s preliminary estimates for the coming crop year. The data was not based on farmer surveys or satellite models. 

A “little potato” crop at six to nine tons an acre in central Alberta does not need the same extra moisture as seed potatoes and can be planted directly into standing canola stubble in the spring.

‘Sustainable’ ag systems for Prairie croplands need clearer definition

The word “sustainable” has become one of the most misused words in agricultural information systems. What we have to realize on Canada’s Prairies is that “sustainable” really means farmers maintain the status quo for good, achievable, economic agricultural practices on their cropland. What may be sustainable agricultural systems for Eastern Canada or the north-central United […] Read more


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Early signs point to increased crop production in 2024/25: AAFC

Rotation, moisture, expected prices, costs among main factors expected in seeding decisions

A return to trend yields should see an increase in production for most of the major crops grown in Canada in the upcoming 2024/25 (Aug/Jul) marketing year, according to the first outlook for the season from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada released Jan. 22.




David Kaminski flicking a barley seed head infected with true loose smut at the Crop Diagnostic School.

Stamp out smut

Crop diseases: Disease prevention tips are available for barley producers

Smut is one of the most common diseases in barley and can be found anywhere the grain is grown. There are several distinct kinds, each caused by a specific fungus and producing slightly different effects. While smut affects other cereals, it’s particularly a concern for Prairie barley growers because of its impact on quality as […] Read more


Kochia in a canola field.  Photo: File

Crop-killing weeds advance across US farmland as chemicals lose effectiveness

Losing battle with weeds adds pressures to farmers already stressed by inflation, extreme weather

Crop-killing weeds such as kochia are advancing across the U.S. northern plains and Midwest, in the latest sign that weeds are developing resistance to chemicals faster than companies including Bayer BAYGn.DE and Corteva CTVA.N can develop new ones to fight them.

samples of durum wheat in jars on shelves

Shedding new light on spoiling crops

A few pages from now you’ll see Jim Timlick check in on the topic of grain storage with Dr. Digvir Jayas, one of the Prairies’ best known experts in that field of research. Earlier this summer Dr. Jayas was named the president of the University of Lethbridge, after a storied 38-year stint at the University […] Read more



brussels sprouts

Vegetable crop production on the Prairies

Part 2 of a series on Prairie farm gardens

At the countless farm sites I have visited over almost 50 years from coast to coast in Canada, from Newfoundland to Vancouver Island, I have come across outstanding crop growing innovations and excellent crops as well as abject crop failures. To deal logically with the extensive range of crops, I put them, as described previously, […] Read more