Corey Loessin feels fortunate he got the 2016 crop off last fall. If conditions dry out and temperature warms a bit he should be on track for the 2017 seeding season on his Radisson, Sask., farm.

Farmers facing mixed bag of conditions

Farmer Panel: Most farmers are on track for seeding, but many are dealing with last year’s crop

On schedule with one-third of the crop seeded, still about a week away, and scrambling to get some of last year’s crop harvested while working to get the 2017 crop in the ground — these are the range of reports from western Canadian farmers as of early May as they look at the cropping season […] Read more


This is a photo of the female of the new “anonymous” midge species.

A new species of midge lands on the Prairies

Researchers say this 
new “anonymous” midge is not an imminent concern, but it’s worth watching

An anonymous midge species has been identified in Saskatchewan and central Alberta. The new species is similar to Swede midge (a species already present in Saskatchewan), but to this point does not appear to have caused significant, widespread damage in canola crops. Researchers are still trying to find out more about the as yet unnamed […] Read more

blackleg in canola

Blackleg management and agronomy

Agronomy tips... from the field

Three main tools go into a successful blackleg management strategy in canola: seed genetics, seed treatment and foliar fungicides. Blackleg genetics, along with seed treatments, can help you get into the season and established while protecting seedlings from blackleg for the first few weeks after seeding. At the two- to six-leaf stage, consider using a […] Read more


When I first saw the plants, some areas were set back, especially on the headlands and riverbed regions. The leaves were cupping, however, there was no purpling or discolouration.

Crop Advisor’s Casebook: The residual riddle

A Crop Advisor's Solution from the February 14, 2017 issue of Grainews

John farms 2,500 acres of mixed grains and oilseeds, including wheat, oats, canola, and flax, in addition to the odd season growing clovers and specialty crops, such as borage and hemp. It was mid-June when John contacted me about one of his canola fields. He was convinced the Group 10 herbicide he’d applied to his […] Read more

Tracy and Myles Pawliw talk logistics as they finish combining the last of their 2016 crop near Glaslyn, Sask.

Spring harvests in effect, but “don’t get stuck”

Lisa Guenther visits a Glaslyn-area farm working to harvest last year's wheat

On a mild spring afternoon, with clouds overhead bluffing rain, the Pawliw family was harvesting the last of the 2016 crop. “We had about 100 acres of canola we took off earlier,” said Tracy Pawliw, as he took a brief break from combining a field of hard red spring wheat near Glaslyn, Sask. Glaslyn is […] Read more


A canola field in northwestern Saskatchewan on Oct. 5, 2016 after the area was blanketed by wet snow.  (Lisa Guenther photo)

StatsCan data confirm tight canola supplies

CNS Canada — Grain and oilseed stocks data released Friday from Statistics Canada were bullish for canola and wheat — though analysts suggest the effects of the report on the market may be short-lived. Figures for barley, lentils and peas were above year-ago levels, but movements in those markets are more likely be driven by […] Read more

It is anyone’s guess how unharvested canola that sat out over winter will yield or grade this spring. These swaths north of Edmonton were still holding onto their seeds, but quality is unknown.

Spring is the new fall: harvest time crunch

Many areas are still dealing with unharvested crops; wet weather is delaying seeding as well

As of April 6 Jason Craig had combined about half the wheat that had been left out under snow all winter on his central Alberta farm. He only had about 120 acres in total of both wheat and canola left out, but it is still a considerable investment. Combining the swathed wheat that was on […] Read more


horizontal image of five round steel grain bins sitting in a yellow canola field under a very cloudy sky in the summer.

New blackleg resistance labels for canola

The canola industry has agreed to voluntarily enhance blackleg resistance labels on canola seed. Seed companies will still use the current R, MR, MS, and S labels. But they will also start adding information indicating which major genes are present in a blackleg-resistant variety. Each blackleg-resistant variety leans heavily on a single major gene for […] Read more

Four canola diseases to watch for

Four canola diseases to watch for

Is that canola crop afflicted by blackleg, root rot, both, or something else entirely? It’s a messy question farmers and agronomists encounter every year. Presenters tried to untangle those problems at CanoLAB in Vermilion this winter. Here are four diseases to watch for in canola fields this summer, and tips on diagnosing them.