Western Canada’s Brown soil zone stretches north from the Canada-U.S. border through south-central Alberta and southwestern Saskatchewan.

More canola in the Brown soil zone?

While it may not be an ideal fit for this oilseed crop, farms in the area known as Palliser’s Triangle could see a big boost in canola acreage. Here’s why

Palliser’s Triangle is considered one of the most arid sections of the Canadian Prairies and led the man for whom it is named to once remark the area wasn’t fit for man nor beast due to its sandy soil and unpredictable rainfall. Although that may have been true when Capt. John Palliser mapped the area […] Read more

Rebate roundup 2023

Rebate roundup 2023

Make your crop input dollars go further this year with cash-back rebates and reward programs

With the high price of fertilizer and other crop inputs these days, it’s more important than ever to be mindful of cash-back rebates and other grower reward programs as you prepare for the 2023 growing season. With this in mind, here’s our annual roundup (in alphabetical order) of rebates available to farmers in Western Canada […] Read more


Bonnie Mandziak says precision ag companies must do a better job of providing farmers with guidance on how to use the data that precision ag technology generates.

Precision ag panel spells out benefits and slow adoption rate

The challenges to variable-rate-technology uptake and other precision ag tools, and industry direction and focus

While interest in precision agriculture has surged in Canada over the past decade, it’s no secret it isn’t being adopted as quickly as some in the industry would like to see. Garth Donald, manager of agronomy in Western Canada for Decisive Farming by Telus Agriculture, agreed the adoption rate for precision ag methods such as […] Read more

New herbicides and fungicides for 2023

Products to control key broadleaf and grassy weeds plus a new fungicide seed treatment designation

Brand new herbicides from Gowan, Nufarm and more, plus a new fungicide seed treatment designation to control early season aphanomyces root rot in peas and lentils are heading your way in 2023. Please note, only brand new products released this year are included. Click here for a review of last year’s new offerings. BASF Voraxor […] Read more


Dry alfalfa and straw bales are loaded into the Kuhn Side Slinger manure spreader, which doubles as a mixer wagon. The hay and straw will serve as biomass for the compost.

Build your own bioreactor

Regenerative Ag: A farmer puts his homegrown biological fertilizer to work in his fields to improve soil health and crop quality and save on input costs

Former Saskatchewan farmer Franck Groeneweg will be heading out to his Montana grain fields this spring to apply a biological fertilizer made on his farm. Over the past three growing seasons, it appears this liquid compost extract helps to maintain crop yields while making it possible for him to significantly reduce chemical fertilizer rates. It […] Read more

Alumni of Canada’s Outstanding Young Farmers program Ian (left) and Karilynn (middle) Marshall of Bowden, Alta., receive the W.R. Motherwell Award from COYF president, Danny Penner (right), at the COYF national award ceremony in November.

Outstanding Young Farmers Awards go to Saskatchewan and Quebec

Organic farming receives national recognition

Cody Straza and Allison Squires say developing an organic mixed farming operation in southern Saskatchewan over the past dozen years was a reflection of their values in terms of creating a sustainable farm operation guided by proper environmental stewardship and social justice principles. Winning a national award recognizing excellence in farm management gave them reassurance […] Read more


OmniPower autonomous power platforms undergoing testing in Arizona. Saskatchewan grower Carl deConinck Smith uses the OmniPower autonomous system developed by Raven Technology to run a SeedMaster seeder and a New Leader spreader on his farm.

How to make the most of every acre

How precision ag tools can help boost efficiency and production

It’s often said you need the right tools to do the job right. That is certainly the case in agriculture, where today’s farmer relies more and more on leading-edge technologies to push the boundaries of efficiency and production. There’s no argument on that point from Shayla Wourms, who runs a family-owned grain farm in Saskatchewan along […] Read more

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada researcher Brian Beres leads a tour through some of the Farming Smarter plots demonstrating the growth stages of durum seeded after different times in late winter and early spring as part of ultra-early seeding research work.

Get a head start on the season with ultra-early seeding

Seeding cereals in late winter contradicts the belief you can’t seed until the soil warms up, but research shows the crops don’t seem to mind

Getting some of the crop seeded toward the tail end of a western Canadian winter may seem like a whimsical idea, but field research has shown on those slightly warmer days when the snow is gone, ultra-early seeding of a cereal crop becomes a viable option. The concept of ultra-early seeding does come with a […] Read more


Soybean field infested with soybean cyst nematodes.

Plant parasites

Some soil nematodes can harm your crops. Here are the ones to watch for

Some soil nematodes are beneficial, providing important soil health benefits for crops. However, there are some that can negatively affect pulses and other crops. According to Mario Tenuta, a University of Manitoba soil scientist, harmful soil nematodes can reduce yields by siphoning off the contents of roots and stems, robbing the plants of energy and […] Read more

photo:  Beatriz Montes Duran/istock/getty images

Meta-analysis in canola

A review of nutrient and water use efficiency studies provides some valuable insights for farmers

Rising fertilizer prices and perilously low levels of precipitation in many areas have delivered a dangerous one-two punch to farmers across the Canadian Prairies over the past few years. A recent study conducted by a team of researchers in Alberta could offer producers hope on how best to contend with such extreme conditions. The researchers […] Read more