Clubroot-infested canola

Cleaning to prevent clubroot

Clubroot can spread from farm to farm, or come in from other sources

Sometimes energy companies are prime suspects when it comes to clubroot contamination in western Canadian farmland. But Encana has developed strict cleaning procedures to minimize that risk, one company leader told FarmTech delegates in Edmonton. Many of Encana’s Alberta sites tap into farmland in south central Alberta. These coalbed methane wells produce sweet gas and […] Read more

An open field.

Intensify production by regulating growth

Plant growth regulators can give you higher yields, with lower crop height

Plant growth regulators (PGR) are not a new technology. They are commonly used in other areas of the world with high intensity cereal management systems, where high levels of nitrogen fertilizer are being used and lodging is a threat to yield and quality. Data from the U.K. Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs […] Read more


Perverse incentives in the system

Speakers at the Grain Handling and Transportation Summit discussed 
incentives, regulations and grain transportation system bottlenecks

Perverse incentives” within the transportation system make solutions unlikely under current regulations, a farmer told industry at a recent grain transportation summit. Currently there’s no one with an interest in collective service issues that affect farmers, Ian McCreary told delegates at Saskatoon’s Grain Handling and Transportation Summit in March. McCreary farms near Bladworth, Sask., and […] Read more

Soybeans in green pods

The bean genome

Researchers have puzzled out the genomes of crops such as soybeans. Now they’re turning their attention to the common bean

Although beans are a specialty crop in Canada, they are a vital part of the global diet, Dr. Frédéric Marsolais says. Beans are high in protein, fibre and complex carbohydrates. They’re also a source of antioxidants and several nutrients. “It became apparent that having access to a genome sequence for this crop would be very […] Read more


Beans, lentils, peas

Working for a greener revolution

Scientists are looking at novel ways to maintain yields with drastic cuts in nitrogen application

He wasn’t around for the Green Revolution, but Dr. Krzysztof Szczyglowski is doing his part to expedite a Greener Revolution. Better crop varieties and high inputs of chemical fertilizers were key tenets of the Green Revolution of the 1960’s and 70’s and the results were impressive. Huge quantities of food were produced and millions of […] Read more

Ochap Farms has best year yet

Ochapowace First Nations’ Ochap Farms Ltd. is investing in people 
and building a farm in southeast Saskatchewan

Shelley Bear is the first to admit she didn’t know a lot about farming. “I knew you put the crop in the field in the spring and you took it off in the fall,” Bear told delegates at the inaugural Indigenous Agriculture Summit, held in conjunction with Canadian Western Agribition in November. Bear is the […] Read more


Farm equipment performing tile draining.

Do-it-yourself tile drainage

Combine easy-to-use GPS technology with high land prices, and more Manitoba farmers are installing their own tile draining

Tile drainage has become increasingly popular in Manitoba. With only a few installers to go around and costs anywhere from $800 to $1,000 per acre, some adventurous farmers are opting to give it a go themselves. Northern Plains Drainage Systems Inc. of Carman has sold over 50 tile plows to farmers across Western Canada in […] Read more

Young crop rising out of the ground.

Harvest in Victoria, Australia

While Canadian Prairie farmers were out in the cold, shovelling snow, 
Kim Neilsen has been running his combine Down Under

Here in Australia we seed in the fall to take advantage of the cooler temperatures, reliable rain and good soil moisture to germinate crops and mature them for harvest before the inevitable hot and dry summer. It has been eight months since we seeded our crop of oats and we are content to see them […] Read more


Canola seed in hand

The certified seed hype

There’s a lot of hype around farmers using certified seed. Some agronomists believe it’s well worth the extra cost

Certified seed use is all but 100 per cent in canola, the second biggest crop in Western Canada (after wheat). Yet certified seed use in wheat in Western Canada hovers around 20 per cent. In durum, it’s even lower at around 16 per cent, according to the Canadian Seed Trade Association (CSTA). Why the big […] Read more

Young corn growing in a field.

Is soil compaction affecting your yield potential?

If farmers want to continue to increase yields, they may need to pay more attention to the condition of the soil, says an agronomist

We’re subsoiling soils all over this planet. People have been doing it for tens and tens of years, successfully,” said Elston Solberg, senior agri coach and president of Agri-Trend Agrology, during a field day near Liberty, Saskatchewan. “It’s going to be a big part of agriculture in Western Canada as sure as I’m standing here. […] Read more