Features & Production Tips

Weed specialist Clark Brenzil says that ideally wild buckwheat should be controlled at the four-leaf stage or smaller.

Wild buckwheat: A weed to watch

Glyphosate alone is just not enough.  Why is buckwheat so hard to control?

By Melanie Epp April 20, 2018

Wild buckwheat consistently ranks among the top five problematic weeds in Saskatchewan weed surveys. Clark Brenzil, provincial weed control specialist at Saskatchewan’s Ministry of Agriculture, explains what makes this weed so tricky. Wild buckwheat is an annual weed found in cropland in the southern Prairies. Despite farmers’ best efforts, the weed is hardy and persistent […] Read more

From an equipment and technology perspective, decide what features are important to you.

Crops, Equipment, Features

Choosing a precision agriculture system

Before you cut the cheque, make sure the system you choose is right for your operation

By Jared Rommens April 17, 2018

Depending on which grower you ask, a “precision ag system” can mean anything from GPS-guided autosteer to advanced software that helps them manage just about every aspect of their farm. But with so many new technologies, software platforms, upgrades and equipment providers on the market, what basic principles do growers need to keep in mind […] Read more

Crops, Features

Corteva builds on Dow/Dupont foundation

New seed and crop protection company has a one-track mind — agriculture

By Lee Hart April 17, 2018

Following the merger of DuPont and Dow, western Canadian farmers won’t see any major changes for the next year or so, but be ready for Corteva Agriscience — it will be the new name delivering some familiar products, with promises of more and better things to come. The Delaware-based Corteva Agriscience won’t fully take to […] Read more

Technologist Shelley Lagasse talks incorporating pulse flour into food products such as pasta during a tour of Cigi’s pulse mill. What makes pulses desirable to a buyer depends on the end use and the market, Lagasse said. North American buyers will need to get a neutral flavour. “In other markets it might not be as much of an issue. For example, in India people consume pulses regularly. They’re used to the different flavours.”

Features, Pulses

Adding pulses to pasta

Cigi food researchers are finding ways to make your produce more appealing

By Lisa Guenther April 13, 2018

Anyone who enjoyed Play-Doh as a child will appreciate watching Paul Ebbinghaus make pasta at the Canadian International Grains Institute’s (Cigi’s) pasta plant, on the main floor of their downtown Winnipeg office. But the international grain markets are not child’s play. The pasta plant is one part of Cigi’s strategy to keep Canadian durum competitive. […] Read more

Barley, Features

Decisive Farming offers data incentive

Alberta-based company recognizes malt barley production data has value

By Lee Hart April 13, 2018

If you’re OK with sharing your data for research purposes, Decisive Farming is looking for malt barley growers across Western Canada interested in growing this year’s crop with variable rate technology. The Alberta-based company, providing a wide range of agronomic and farm management services, is actually offering a first-of-a-kind program to pay producers $4 per […] Read more

The yellow spots and chlorosis (yellowing leaf tissue) developed shortly after emergence during the plants’ vegetative phase.

Crops, Features, Spring Wheat

Crop advisor casebook: What’s causing leaf chlorosis and yellow spots in this wheat?

A Crop Advisor's Solution from the April 10, 2018 issue of Grainews

By Wyatt Kieper April 11, 2018

Neil owns a 3,500-acre grain farm north of Rossburn, Man. At the end of May, while checking one of his wheat fields for crop staging after seeding, Neil noticed some spots and abnormal yellowing on the plants’ leaves. Since Neil wasn’t sure what had caused the damage, he asked me to examine the crop and […] Read more

Yvonne Supeene and Yulia Borsuk, baking technical specialist, show how the loaf shaping process can affect crumb structure in bread.

Cereals, Features

A tale of two (wheat) markets

As markets change, exporters need to know how end buyers are using our products

By Lisa Guenther April 9, 2018

Historically, Japan has been the biggest market for Canada Western Red Spring (CWRS) wheat, outside of Canada’s domestic market. But that changed in 2017, when Indonesia edged ahead of Japan. With a population estimated to be over 260 million, the growth potential for the Indonesian market is huge. Still, Japan has been a loyal customer of Canadian wheat as well, said Yvonne Supeene, […] Read more

Duane and Bonnie Friesen and their three children, Daniel, Rebekka and Adele.

Cow-Calf, Crops, Features

Meet your farming neighbours: Duane and Bonnie Friesen

This is the story of Duane and Bonnie Friesen,  near Cecil Lake, B.C.

By Marianne Stamm April 4, 2018

Every farm has its own story. No two farms (or farmers) are exactly alike. Everyone got started in a different way, and every farm has a different combination of family and hired staff who make the decisions and keep things running. But, in general, even after you consider all of the details, farmers are more alike than different. This is the story of Duane Freisen, who farms […] Read more

Canola, Crops, Features

New labels for blackleg resistance

New “groups” for blackleg resistance on some canola seed this spring

By Leeann Minogue April 4, 2018

Agronomists agree the best way to control blackleg in canola is rotation — only growing canola once every three years, at most. Besides rotations, scouting and fungicide can help in the fight against blackleg. And, last spring a new item was added to the list of blackleg-fighting tools: a new labelling system. This season, you’ll see some new letters on some of your seed […] Read more

Features

Three farm insurance Q and As

Life insurance and loan insurance is expensive. Get your money’s worth

By Dilia Narduzzi April 4, 2018

There are always outstanding questions about how farmers can use insurance, either as part of a succession plan or just a part of doing business. Here are three questions and answers. Will my family have to pay taxes? When you die, will your family have to pay taxes on your assets, as well the proceeds […] Read more

U.S. grains: Soybeans, corn fall on harvest pressure

U.S. livestock: Hog futures slide in technical correction

National Day for Truth and Reconciliation: Acknowledging the past, seeking a better future

GFM Network News