Proudly Canadian
Soybeans are still the new kid on the block in southern Alberta. Here are nine reasons why they’re not going away
Farmers are constantly looking for different ways to improve their bottom lines. When a new crop comes along, they look to see if it will work in their operation. Many factors come into play when evaluating a new crop: adaptability to your growing area, learning curve required, specialized equipment needed, potential marketing issues and more. […] Read moreIn this first instalment of a five-part series, Todd Botterill takes a look at the new movement to vertical tillage, what it really means and how to make the conversion on your farm
Vertical tillage is all the rage today. You can’t turn around without seeing a new vertical tillage machine or hearing about one. For those of us who have been involved with vertical tillage since the term was first coined, the recent pandemonium can be bittersweet. It feels good to have the recognition, and know that […] Read moreSaskatchewan researchers examine straight-combining canola and make some recommendations to reduce losses for those willing to try it
At a summer research field day in Swift Current last July, quite a few farmers raised their hands when researcher Chris Holzapfel asked how many had experience with straight-combining canola. Holzapfel looked a little surprised, until he remembered that many farmers in southwest Saskatchewan are new to canola and probably don’t have a swather handy. […] Read moreWhile flowering rush may be a lovely pond decoration, it is also a formidable invasive plant that’s restricting water flow
Flowering rush seems to be an ideal ornamental pond plant. Plants grow on the water’s edge or fully submerged. They are striking, with stalks up to a metre tall, topped by nickel-sized pink flowers. But flowering rush also spreads easily and is hard to kill, making it a formidable invasive species. Flowering rush can restrict […] Read moreFast-growing cattails sequester phosphorus. Harvesting them might be good for the environment, and better yet — it might be good for your bottom line
Harvesting cattails from the ditches, low spots and sloughs on your farm, could one day lower your fertilizer and energy costs. At least that’s the aim of a research study in Manitoba that’s focused on reducing the nutrient loading to Lake Winnipeg. The major study is being conducted at Netley-Libau Marsh by the International Institute […] Read moreNot buying insurance can free up cash for other uses on your farm. But before you make any rash decisions, consider these four factors
A man walks into a coffee shop to buy a coffee to go and the clerk says “Would you like insurance for that? For only 15 cents we’ll replace it if you spill it.” Another man has a farm with thousands of acres of crop. The insurance agent says “Would you like hail insurance this […] Read moreYour wheat and barley dollars are now directly funding the Canadian International Grains Institute. Find out what Cigi is doing for you
After surveying farmers this past May the Canadian International Grains Institute (Cigi) discovered that many weren’t all that familiar with the Winnipeg based organisation and knew very little about what it does. That’s hardly surprising because for the past forty years Cigi has primarily played a support role in providing technical marketing services to the Canadian Wheat […] Read more
