canola field

Moving canola to market

We can increase our canola yields, but experts question whether we have 
the transportation infrastructure to get that extra production to buyers

Dr. Stephen Blank believes the Canola Council of Canada’s production goal of 52 bushels per acre by 2025 is impressive, he told delegates at the council’s recent conference in Banff, Alta. “But there’s an 800 pound gorilla in there that we haven’t talked much about,” said Blank, an expert on North American transportation infrastructure. “That’s […] Read more

augers moving canola seed

Getting to 52 by 2025

The Canola Council of Canada has set an ambitious goal, 
calling for average on-farm yields of 52 bushels per acre

Marcus Weidler is confident that the canola industry can meet the lofty production goals set out by the Canola Council of Canada. It’s a long way from the 2014 average Canadian canola yield of 34.4 bushels per acre to 52 bu./ac. by 2025. “Yeah, it’s ambitious,” said Weidler, vice president of seed operations for Bayer […] Read more


building foundation with posts

Integrity Post Structures

These new Perma-Columns raised the roof at the Agri-Trade Equipment Expo

Every year the Agri-Trade Equipment Expo holds an exhibition of new and innovative ideas in farm equipment and supplies. They also recognize key innovators in the field with their Ag Innovations Awards, selected by a committee of independent local producers. Among this years’ winners was Okotoks, Alberta’s own Integrity Post Structures, in recognition for their […] Read more

farm equipment on a gravel road

Biosecurity and visitors on the farm

Biosecurity is something we usually connect to livestock. 
These days grain farmers should be knowledgeable too

Anyone involved in animal agriculture is familiar with bio-security, especially in businesses involving confined livestock like birds (eggs and broilers) and swine. Beef and dairy have in the past few decades moved towards having stronger biosecurity measures in the face of FMD’s (foreign animal diseases) and increasing traceability for livestock movements. Farm visitors can be […] Read more


hydroelectric power pole

Look up and stay safe

Overhead power lines are some of the most common 
causes of farm accidents. Be prepared on your farm

Do you have overhead power lines and guy wires around your farm? Do you know how high they really are from the ground? Are you confident that your equipment is low enough to avoid contact when transporting? How about in the fields or along the roads you travel? Some of the most common accidents in […] Read more

pickup truck stuck in mud

Stuck!! How to pull them out safely

We’re sure nobody has ever been stuck on your farm. 
But, just in case, here’s how to handle it

You’ve all read the stories about how a seemingly simple tow job of a stuck piece of equipment turned into a tragic accident. You’ve heard it first hand from friends or families. You may have even been stuck yourself and had a close call. But have you examined what happened and considered finding safer ways? […] Read more


pouring farm chemicals

Chemical safety on the farm

You use them so often they may not even seem to be all that dangerous
 anymore. But make sure you know just what you’re dealing with

Every year farmers and farm workers come in contact with a wide variety of chemicals. Often they’re used every season and farmers can become familiar with them, even a bit complacent about the dangers they pose. Each chemical will have an information sheet and information tag. All chemicals and medications have Material Safety Data Sheets […] Read more

Quorum’s latest report says that during the first nine months of the 2013-14 crop year, vessels waited an average of 19.1 days in port at Vancouver.

Vessels kept waiting at port

Port Metro Vancouver is on track to break movement records, despite supply chain problems

Mark Hemmes is cautiously optimistic about grain transportation this year, he told CropSphere delegates in Saskatoon in January. The transportation system has set records for grain volumes moved, he said, and generally things are back in balance. But vessel line-ups at port are still a concern, he said, especially in Vancouver. “They’re running out of anchorage […] Read more


Reviewing the CTA

Reviewing the CTA

The Canada Transportation Act is under review. Prairie farm associations 
are sending their views about grain transportation to the review panel

The Canada Transportation Act (CTA) Review “is a critical moment in time,” Robynne Anderson told delegates at Saskatoon’s CropSphere in mid-January. Anderson was speaking for the Prairie Oat Growers Association (POGA). It’s also a chance to create a more fair, equitable and transparent system, said Anderson, founder of Emerging Ag, an issues management and communications […] Read more

Green Barley Ears

A smut by any other name

Smut is one of the few diseases that’s not a hot button issue this winter. But true loose 
smut can cause headaches for barley growers. Here’s how to keep it out of your fields

Covered, loose, false, true, stinking, stem, common. Apparently, a smut exists for every occasion. Smut is a broad term that refers to a variety of fungal diseases that affect cereal grains on the Canadian prairies. Each smut is caused by a specific fungi which attacks a particular grain and produces slightly different effects. One thing all smuts have in common: […] Read more


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