Grain seeds contaminated with fusarium.

Alberta’s fusarium action plan

Fusarium graminearum is listed as a pest under the Alberta Agricultural Pests Act. To control the disease and keep it from lowering grain yield and quality, the province of Alberta has an extensive management plan in place. But some believe the Fusarium Management Plan is be too restrictive. Alberta’s Fusarium Management Plan was developed to […] Read more

Wheat field with blue sky in background.

Saving your seed

While there are many benefits to using certified seed, not all farmers plan to buy it. 
Here are some tips for farmers saving seed

Using certified seed allows farmers to focus on growing and provides quality seed with potentially new marketing opportunities for the crop, risk management, and access to new varieties, says Lorena Pahl, general manager of the Alberta Seed Growers’ Association. “Certified seed captures the full benefits of a plant breeding program — not just the first […] Read more


Flow sensor for agricultural applications.

Listen to your air seeder

This wireless flow monitoring system uses small microphones to tell you when something isn’t right

Trent Duczek of Grayson, Sask. and Caleb Wierenga of Neerlandia, Alta. both agree that silence is not golden when it comes time to seeding the crop, but both have become big believers in an acoustic-based flow monitoring system using sound — or the lack of it — on their air drills that quickly tells them […] Read more

New crops and climates drive crop insurance changes

Soybean coverage is expanded in Manitoba and Saskatchewan, Alberta adds more weather stations to monitor corn heat units and Manitoba curbs 
winter wheat re-seeding benefits

As anyone who has ever bought insurance knows, it’s an exercise in “pay and pray” — that is, pray that you won’t need it. Crop insurance is certainly no different but, as climates change and localized weather patterns become predictably more unpredictable, few farmers these days can afford to be without it. That’s certainly true in Manitoba, where […] Read more


Getting paid for the oil

Canola growers are talking about “component pricing”— getting paid 
for your canola based on the amount of oil in the seed


Some canola growers have been considering the possibility of “component pricing” for their canola, that is, receiving payments based on the oil content of the canola they deliver. Oil is what the crushers want. Should they pay more for canola seed that contains more of it? Canola oil content Canola oil content varies from year […] Read more

Herbicide resistant weeds and pulse crops

Researchers are providing options to control the most challenging 
Group 2 herbicide-resistant weeds in pea and lentil crops

The use of Group 2 herbicides for controlling broadleaf weeds in pulse crops has been widespread across the Prairies primarily due to the limited number of in-crop herbicides registered for use on pulses. As a result of the pressure placed on the weed spectrum by this reliance on Group 2 herbicides, weeds have developed resistance to […] Read more


Agronomists versus agrologists

All kinds of consultants are vying for the chance to sell 
advice to farmers. Know what you’re paying for

The terms “agronomist” and “agrologist” are often confused in today’s ag industry. From chat forums to conferences, farmers are presented with a multiplicity of options for crop consulting, but even if they’re used every day, it’s not always clear which options will best suit an individual farmer’s needs. Mark Bratrud, a farmer with consulting experience […] Read more

Understanding biofuels

In the first of a two-part series, Angela Lovell cuts through the biofuel business confusion

Ethanol, biodiesel, cellulosic, second generation, next generation — even the terms associated with biofuels are confusing, so it’s hardly surprising that a lot of people aren’t too clear about what biofuels are, what they can be made from, how they are made and how likely it is that biofuels are going to end up in […] Read more


Three ways to lose nitrogen

Nitrogen is essential, expensive and easy to lose. New nitrogen efficiency 
products are built to offset these causes of nitrogen loss

Nitrogen is essential and expensive. But a good portion of the nitrogen farmers apply to the soil doesn’t get where it’s intended to go. Before the product can get to the plant in a form the plant can use, valuable nitrogen is lost through volatilization (released from the soil into the atmosphere as a gas), […] Read more

Cattle grazing their way through corn.

Risk of poisoning in silage corn

High levels of nitrates in corn silage can be toxic to animals and humans


Corn silage with high levels of nitrates can be toxic to animals and humans. Nitrates oxidize iron atoms in hemoglobin (in red blood cells), making it unable to carry oxygen. Along with the potential for increased nitrates comes an increased risk of silo gas, which can be fatal. Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) is a dangerous chemical […] Read more