Versatile collectible toy tractor

Grainews Giveaway

Enter to win one of twelve Versatile collectible tractors!

All of us at Grainews know you’ll soon be needing a gift for that special someone before the holidays. We’re here to make it easier for you with our first Grainews Giveaway! Versatile has given Grainews 12 highly detailed, 1/32 Versatile 4WD 500 collectible tractors to give away as prizes (see photo above). So, how […] Read more

flax seed

New flax seed varieties for 2015

Seed companies offering one new flax variety; two varieties from last year are seeing a wider release


Flax growers have one new flax variety to consider this year, plus two others that are seeing a wider release. The seed’s not in the bin yet, but in August Statistics Canada was putting flax production at just over 908,000 tonnes this year. That’s a fair gain over 2013’s 712,000-tonne harvest, as reported by Dave […] Read more


corn cobs with mould growth

Do not feed mouldy corn to dairy cattle

Mould count tests are inexpensive, but their usefulness is limited, since most moulds are not poisonous

Last year’s weather was not particularly kind to growing corn on the eastern Prairies. A late spring planting, cold weather in July, and topped off by a cloudy fall created millions of bushels of corn that was not initially dry enough for storage. Some of this wet corn was dried down and augered into a […] Read more

Weather models point to widespread frost Friday in parts of the Prairies.

Killing frost Friday would damage W. Man. crop

After the weekend, warmer, drier weather is forecast until the end of September

A killing frost Friday morning will damage a lot of crops in western Manitoba, including cereals and canola, says Lionel Kaskiw — and that’s what the forecast is calling for. “We needed at least until the third week of September or the end of September (without frost) and we’re getting (frost possibly) the second week […] Read more


Wheat head armyworm

Wheat head armyworms appear in Alberta

In his final regular weekly Call of the Land interview, Alberta Agriculture pest management specialist Scott Meers says there have been some reports of wheat head armyworms, with one “pretty major hotspot” in Wheatland County and into Kneehill County, with some reports from the Peace. Meers says the insect is difficult to spot as it is […] Read more

Blackleg stem

Guenther: Wanted for science: Southern Alberta canola fields

Reward: Better industry-wide strategies for managing blackleg

Dr. Dilantha Fernando, a University of Manitoba researcher, is leading a group of researchers who intend to pinpoint avirulence genes in blackleg found in farmers’ fields. Researchers with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and Alberta Innovates – Technology Futures are also involved. Researchers will also study how the fungus adapts to different canola cultivars and how […] Read more


Bugs helping to control bugs in Alberta

In his weekly Call of the Land interview, Alberta Agriculture insect specialist Scott Meers says wheat midge are now emerging across the province. “Interestingly enough, they’re actually coming out first in the Peace and just this week they’re starting to come out across the rest of the province,” Meers said. Recent warm weather should mean a […] Read more

Impact of heavy rains on crops

Impact of heavy rains on crops

Southern Sask. hit hard by heavy rains over the weekend

Many parts of southern Saskatchewan and Manitoba experienced heavy rainfall this past weekend. With more rain expected to fall in these areas in the next 24 hours, this will further impact many severely waterlogged fields. Crop Chatter, an agricultural forum for farmers and public and private agronomists, has posted a number of helpful articles and factsheets farmers can download from its website, such as: Seed […] Read more


Glyphosate-resistant kochia in Manitoba

Glyphosate-resistant kochia in Manitoba

Find out what you need to know about new reports of glyphostate resistance across the Prairies

Kochia is not the first glyphosate-resistant weed in Canada but it is the first in the West. Giant ragweed was the first weed confirmed with glyphosate resistance in Canada. It was discovered in 2008 near Windsor, Ontario. Giant ragweed is an extremely competitive weed — if herbicide control options for giant ragweed are diminished, it […] Read more

photo: patrick mooleki, saskatchewan agriculture


Fertilizer toxicity can kill a seed

Too much fertilizer too close to the seed can create a toxic environment. Here’s how to recognize the problem if you have it

The last thing any farmer wants to do is create a toxic environment at seeding time by applying too much fertilizer so close to the seed that it prevents normal germination and establishment. Fertilizer is not the only culprit when it comes to poor emergence. Seeding too deep, poor seed quality, disease, insects, dry soil […] Read more


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