Consumers Want To Know Food Sources

I’ve had many calls from cow-calf producers over the past year in regards to age verification and premises identification. Many producers don’t understand why this is important, and question the additional cost versus the potential benefit. Of course these producers are thinking of a price benefit rather than industry benefit. Provincial and state governments along […] Read more

Spaying And So Much More

I had a note recently from Greg Hemming of Esterhazy, Sask. talking about the practice of spaying heifers. It isn’t really a new concept. I remember going to a demonstration day, maybe 10 years ago, put on by Pfizer, I believe, which showed it was a fairly simple process and then if you implant the […] Read more


Spring Weather Taking Its Time

MARCH 27 Last week Andrea’s kids spent a day with us, and Emily stayed overnight. She learned how to make biscuits, and helped me do chores. We brought the cow herd down from the field and sorted off cows that are about to calve. Emily enjoyed seeing her pet cow, Buffalo Girl, who is close […] Read more

Making the first application of fungicide in early spring, before you see signs of disease, is the most important strike against ascochyta in chickpeas and lentils

Infection of ascochyta in chickpea crops can happen much earlier than first thought. Ascospores released from infected chickpea stubble can spread and infect new plants early and in the absence of rain splash, according to Yantai Gan, a research scientist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada at Swift Current. Scouting and spraying early is your best […] Read more


Wheat & Chaff – for Apr. 19, 2010

ROTATION, ROTATION, ROTATION It’s location that matters most in real estate, but for disease management it’s rotation that pays dividends. Well, that’s not entirely true; there are those pesky wind-and seed-borne diseases that could care less what crop was grown the year previously. But for diseases that live in the soil or on crop residue, […] Read more

Cabri District Lions Launch Community Farming Project

It all starts with an idea and it doesn’t even have to be your own. The southwest Saskatchewan community of Cabri is no different than many small towns across the Prairies. The challenge? A community of 439 people needs to raise money quickly to help save its 53-year-old swimming pool. Funds are needed for the […] Read more


Final Job In New Zealand: AI Nearly 1,200 Cows

I arrived on Kenmare Dairy just at the tail end of their calving season, the busiest time of year for any cattle farmer. About a month after my arrival, with only the late cows left to calve, we began breeding season. The majority of breeding in dairies in New Zealand is done through artificial insemination. […] Read more

Roundup-Resistant Ragweed Confirmed In Ontario

Glyphosate-resistant giant ragweed is officially in Ontario, weed scientist Peter Sikkema recently confirmed. Researchers grew plants from seeds of giant ragweed found in farmers’ fields in the southwestern part of the province in 2008 and the resulting weeds were resistant to glyphosate, Sikkema says. During a recent farm meeting he showed a picture of two […] Read more


Syngenta Introduces Astound Fungicide

Syngenta Crop Protection Canada has picked up approval for one of its combination fungicides to prevent and treat stem rot in canola due to sclerotinia. The now-registered product, to be available for the 2010 growing season under the name Astound, combines the Group 12 and 9 fungicides fludioxonil and cyprodinil, to inhibit spore germination on […] Read more

Watch For Ascochyta In Field Pea

Although still not a major concern for many pea growers, researchers in Saskatchewan have initiated an extensive survey to try and find out exactly what diseases are out there and how much of a problem they could pose in the future. The 2009 field pea disease survey is the first provincially co-ordinated study done for […] Read more


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