Guides & Production Tips

CDC Churchill in a plot at Ag in Motion in July. Farmers growing barley for feed are increasingly opting to grow malting varieties.

Barley, Cereals Production Guide, Crops, Features

Fitting malting barley in your rotation

The price premium isn’t the only benefit malting barley offers

By Don Norman January 19, 2025

Farmers who grow malting barley in their rotation say there is a lot to like about the crop. It’s an early-maturing, drought-resistant crop that competes well with weeds. And if farmers meet the high standards required by malting houses, they can earn a handsome premium. Although malting barley once yielded significantly less than higher-yielding feed […] Read more

Early-spring seeding of winter wheat may create more grazing days and reduce production costs.

Beef Cattle, Cereals Production Guide, Crops, Forages, Winter Wheat

Early-spring-seeded winter cereals can bring more, better forage

The practice does have some risks — but maybe not the ones you think

By Jeff Melchior January 17, 2025

Glacier FarmMedia — Seeding winter cereals “ultra-early” in the spring can hedge against drought by offering an alternative feed source, according to Alberta research results. The project’s origins can be traced to the extremely dry year of 2021, which left many producers in the province’s eastern Lakeland region in need of feed and water resources. […] Read more

Cereals Production Guide, Crops, Oats

Cutting N on oats can pay off, if it’s drier

Potential gain in net revenue must be weighed against opportunity cost

By Robert Arnason January 16, 2025

Glacier FarmMedia — It’s possible to make more money from oats by reducing fertilizer rates, according to research done at four sites in Saskatchewan. But like most things in farming, a lot depends on the weather. Less nitrogen equalled more profits in trials done in 2023 because it was a dry growing season. “When you […] Read more

CDC Anson is a new oat variety from FP Genetics with high yield potential and excellent milling characteristics.

Cereals, Cereals Production Guide

New cereals on deck for 2025

Canterra Seeds, FP Genetics, Proven Seed and SeCan will bring new options to market this year

By Mark Halsall January 4, 2025

Prairie farmers have a dozen more cereal crops to choose from for the coming growing season. New wheat, barley, oat and triticale varieties offering yield improvements, strong disease defence and more are being rolled out in Western Canada. Please note the following list includes only brand-new variety releases for 2025. READ MORE: New tools could […] Read more

Snow depth on the Prairies, an important number for overwintering wheat crops, has decreased by four centimetres from 1948 to 2012.

Cereals, Cereals Production Guide, Weather

Payoffs and pressures for cereals in a changing Prairie climate

Warmer, wetter, longer growing seasons carry risks as well as rewards

By Bruce Burnett January 4, 2025

Cereal crops in Western Canada will be influenced by climate change in the coming years — but the impact will depend on both the crop and the primary area of Western Canada where it’s grown. Barley and oats are grown primarily in the cooler regions of the Prairies and will benefit from a longer growing […] Read more

Corteva recently introduced Trusource, a durum wheat which provides increased dietary fibre and could be commercially available to growers within a couple of years.

Cereals, Cereals Production Guide

New tools could speed up development of cereal varieties

Selection is a business of evaluation, identification — and yes, rejection

By Jim Timlick January 4, 2025

When it comes to developing new varieties of cereal crops, the focus of those efforts can be as much about what doesn’t work as what does, says one breeding expert. Francois Eudes is the director of research, development and technology for the science and technology branch at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) at Lethbridge. As […] Read more

Aaron Onio, malting and brewing technical specialist with CMBTC, explains the nuances of beer making at the test brewery at the centre.

Barley, Cereals Production Guide, Crops

Critical factors in growing malting barley

While malting grade offers premiums, farmers must meet stringent quality standards to avoid being left with feed

By Don Norman January 4, 2025

As malting barley yields approach those of top feed varieties, farmers are increasingly choosing to grow malting barley in hopes of securing a premium price — even if their end goal is feed. The problem is, those premiums don’t come easily. Shawn Pasieczka, a food safety grain specialist with Richardson, is the arbiter of what […] Read more

Cereals, Cereals Production Guide, Editor's column, Guides

Editor’s Rant: The price tag on progress

Points to ponder as a seed company announces a hybrid wheat breakthrough

By Dave Bedard January 4, 2025

All things considered, the announcement is more of a surprise than it should have been. Corteva Agriscience in mid-November said it’s made a “revolutionary breakthrough” with which it expects to produce hybrid hard red winter wheat for the North American market “as early as 2027” and add other hybrid wheats to the product line over […] Read more

P74691PCE, a new corn hybrid from Pioneer Seed

Corn, Corn Production Guide, Guides

New corn hybrids for 2025

27 new offerings for Prairie farmers

By Mark Halsall October 25, 2024

There are lots of new corn hybrids in the offing for producers in Western Canada next year. Corteva, DeKalb, Proven Seed, Maizex, NorthStar Genetics, Syngenta and Thunder Seed are all releasing new corn options for the coming growing season. Please note: the following list includes only brand new hybrid releases for 2025. Corteva: Pioneer Seed […] Read more

Corn, Corn Production Guide, Guides, Weather

How rain posed mixed blessings for this year’s corn

In the early-season moisture, corn plants' roots didn't bother to dig deep

By Jim Timlick October 25, 2024

Some Manitoba corn growers could be feeling a little more anxious than usual in the weeks ahead as they prepare for harvest. Many southern portions of the province received above-average rainfall amounts this spring, which has turned out to be a mixed blessing for corn producers in the region. While those rains helped promote early […] Read more

U.S. grains: Corn rebounds from contract lows on short covering, bargain buying

U.S. livestock: Cattle futures come down from highs

Entomologist tests trap crops and marigolds to repel flea beetles at an Ag in Motion

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