Railway car being filled with grain

Producer cars to lower risk

Producer cars are an alternative to help Prairie farmers manage the uncertainty of basis and delivery opportunities

After seeing how the past winter evolved in regards to extremely high basis levels and limited delivery access because of the bumper crop, I have been looking at available options to help farmers better manage these risks. Today I want to take a look at producer cars and how they can help manage basis fluctuations […] Read more

Lentils with blight can be misdiagnosed

Stemphylium blight is turning up in more and more seed lab tests, but 
is often misdiagnosed when it’s found out in the field

Stemphylium blight, caused by the fungal pathogen Stemphylium botryosum, is a lentil disease that has only been identified as a problem in recent years. But according to Sabine Banniza, a researcher at the University of Saskatchewan, this may be due to misdiagnosis in the past. “There isn’t really very solid data out there, partly because […] Read more


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