Jason’s book is called Colour Saskatchewan. You can buy it from your favourite on-line retailer for under $17. Or, you can win a copy!

Just send me an email, text, or message on Twitter with the words “colour Saskatchewan” and I’ll put your name in the draw. We’ll draw a winner on March 1 and get it in the mail soon after that.

The post Get your crayons ready, it’s contest time! appeared first on Grainews.

Klassen, who farms with family members near Linden, about an hour north of Calgary is yield leader so far in a Canada wide contest among canola growers to produce a 100 bushel canola crop. Klassen produced 85.88 bushels per acre on a 50-acre field in 2017.

That puts him at the top of the yield board, edging out the 2016 yield leader Mike Nelson of Wetaskiwin, Alta., who finished the 2016 season with a verified yield of 81.43 bushels per acre on a 50 acre field. Nelson participated in the 2017 contest but hail sidelined his efforts.

The final year of the contest runs through 2018. The first producer to achieve a 100 bushel verified yield on a 50 acre plot wins the grand prize, which is 100 hours of use of a whole fleet of John Deere equipment (seeding to harvest fleet) — that’s the big green prize. If no producer reaches the magic 100-bushel yield, the one with the highest yield over the three-year term of the contest will be awarded the prize. Klassen hasn’t started making room in the yard for the equipment yet.

If the challenge is appealing —it is still really anybody’s game — there is still plenty of time to enrol for the 2018 growing season. The contest is open to producers in all four western provinces and Ontario. You can enter two fields per farm, have them registered by March 31, 2018 and then decide whether to lock those fields in by May 15, 2018. Details available at www.agri-prize.com.

Klassen’s crop of Invigor L233P canola produced about seven bushels more among the top five yields of the 2017 contest.

Curtis Harrish of Calmar, Alta., produced the second-best yield with a Pioneer Roundup Ready — 45CS40 variety at 79.32 bushels.

Third was Andrew Luellau of Olds, Alta., with a Dekalb RR-7565 and a yield of 78.66 bushels.

Fourth place was Chad Badowski of Swan River, Man., also growing InVigor L233P with a yield of 78.58 bushels and fifth was David Harrish of Calmar (Curtis’s dad) growing the same Pioneer variety with a yield of 78.37 bushels.

Fertility was foundation

Klassen is part of a diversified family-run farm near Linden. He looks after cropping operation on about 5,500 acres, while two brothers look after the livestock side of the farm, which includes a 4,500 head beef feedlot, as well as poultry.

“It is certainly gratifying to have the top yield for 2017,” says Klassen. “It is the highest yield we have ever had on this farm.”

Despite some real growing condition extremes in other parts of Western Canada — too dry in many areas and then too wet in others — Klassen says conditions were just about ideal in his area last year.

“Aside from weather, I think the biggest factor contributing to a high yield in 2017 was soil fertility,” says Klassen. The fields he selected had a long history of receiving both raw and composted manure. Along with that he supplied a recommended fertilizer blend that included 120 pounds of nitrogen, 10 pounds of phosphorus, 25 pounds of potassium and 30 pounds of sulphur.

“Aside from fertility the second factor that probably contributed to the high yield were four in-crop treatments with fungicide,” he says.

First job of the growing season involved a spring pre-seeding burndown with Roundup WeatherMAX tank mixed with Conquer. That was followed by seeding InVigor L233P seeded at 4.9 pounds per acre (based on 1,000 seed weight count). And a slight correction from earlier reports, the seeding rate targeted placement of nine seeds per square foot, with a goal to produce a stand of about five plants per square foot.

Of the total fertilizer program, noted above, about 25 lbs. of N, 10 lbs. of P, five lbs. of K, and five lbs. of S was included in the seed row, with the remainder placed beside the seed row. Added fertility at seeding did not factor in any fertility already in the soil.

In crop, the canola was treated with one pass of Liberty Link herbicide tank mixed with Centurion. Klassen also made four fungicide applications during the growing season. He included a bit of the micronutrient boron with the fungicide. And to top up fertility he dribble banded some UAN pre-bolting. With some diamond back moth pressure on the field he also applied an insecticide as well.

The crop was desiccated in early September and then straight cut about 10 days later.

A “moon shot” contest

The Canola 100 contest is co-sponsored by Agri-Trend Agrology, John Deere Canada and Glacier FarmMedia (publishers of Grainews).

“In many respects it was certainly a challenging year for many farmers as far as growing conditions were concerned,” says Rob Saik, former Agri-Trend CEO, who developed the Canola 100 contest idea. “Their success is a testament to improved management ability, and production efficiency. At the same time we are also seeing the benefits of improved crop varieties that perform well even under adverse growing conditions.”

Saik, describing the Agri-Prize contest as a “moon shot” says although no one has reached that 100-bushel yield yet, canola growers are doing an exceptional job at increasing production efficiency and yields.

Saik says the objective behind the contest is to challenge growers to test the limits of their management and agronomic abilities to see what canola can produce.

“We also hope through this contest to create a community of participants who share their knowledge and expertise with each other,” says Saik. “The objective is to inspire farmers toward greater innovation. We want the contest to be a learning experience, but also fun.”

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“Manitoba is home to many budding entrepreneurs with a passion for food and drink and the skill to create innovative and delicious new products,” said Eichler in a release.

“The Great Manitoba Food Fight is a fun and exciting way to find a new group of talented Manitobans who are ready to take the next step and turn their culinary creations into a possible career and a profitable food or drink-based business.”

GMFF is sponsored by the Manitoba government, in partnership with De Luca’s Specialty Foods Store and Food and Beverage Manitoba. This year’s event features a new alcoholic beverage category, in support of the growing craft beer and spirits industry in Manitoba, the minister noted.

The competition provides entrepreneurs with an opportunity to fast track their products to commercialization by competing for product development and service awards. In addition to pitching their product to a panel of judges, participants must submit an application form that outlines how they would commercialize their new product.

Ten applicants will be selected to compete in the food portion of the competition and three will be selected for the new pub competition. Judges will select gold, silver and bronze winners in the food category, with prize money ranging from $3,500 to $13,000. A single winner will be selected in the craft beer and spirits category, with a $5,000 prize.

The competition will be held on Sept. 20 at De Luca’s, 950 Portage Ave., in Winnipeg. The entry fee is $50 and the application deadline is Aug. 4. Applications not accepted will have their entry fee returned.

To apply for the Great Manitoba Food Fight or for more information, visit www.gmff.ca or call 204-841-4084.

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Haven’t got your tickets yet for Canada’s Farm Progress Show? We might.

Glacier FarmMedia, Canada’s largest publisher of newspapers and magazines for farmers, and operator of this website, has a pair of free single-day show passes (value: $30 per pair) for you if you’re one of the first 39 people to contact us by e-mail. (We have a few rules, though. Read on.)

All you have to do to enter is click on the link (keep reading, you’ll get to it) and type your name and exact mailing address (make sure to include both) into the body of the e-mail, then hit “Send.” If you’re one of our first 30 successful senders, we’ll contact you by return e-mail within three business days and get your pair of passes to you via Canada Post right away. The entry deadline, if we need one, is noon (Winnipeg time) on Wednesday, June 7.

Remember: Eligible entries MUST include the entrant’s name, full postal address and postal code in the body of the email. Entries without that information will be disqualified. Limit two tickets per email address.

With all that in mind, good luck! TO ENTER, CLICK HERE.

What’s Canada’s Farm Progress Show? The dryland farm technology show is considered the single largest trade show in the country, drawing around 40,000 visitors per year to Regina’s exhibition park, Evraz Place.

Attractions scheduled for the show, running June 21-23, include equipment demos, seminars, the FCC Innovations Showcase, the Modern Lifestyles showcase, the Empowering Women Conference, Rick Mercer and other speakers at the Farm Progress Forum, the Farmyard Inventions competition, the annual antique truck and tractor showcase and the announcement of Saskatchewan’s Outstanding Young Farmers for 2017.

Privacy Policy: Submitting an e-mail request through this website entitles you to receive correspondence from Glacier FarmMedia. If you send us an e-mail message, we may retain that message and your e-mail address, as well as any response we send you. From time to time we may use email as a way to keep in touch with our existing customers and other interested individuals.

Receiving correspondence is optional. You may opt out of being included in our mailing list, even after granting prior permission, by sending an e-mail request to our privacy officer. If you prefer to contact Glacier FarmMedia by regular postal mail, please write to: Privacy Officer, c/o Glacier FarmMedia, 1666 Dublin Ave., Winnipeg, MB R3H OH1, or phone 204-944-5765.

Eligibility: This contest is open to all Canadian residents, ages 18 and older, excluding residents of Quebec. Limit two tickets per email address.

The post CONTEST CLOSED: Free to good home: Farm Progress Show tickets appeared first on Grainews.

Thanks to our subscribers, website visitors and social media followers, we received a great number of contest entries for our first ever Grainews Giveaway! It was a great success and many thanks to Versatile for supplying the 12 Versatile 4WD 500 collectible tractors that we give away as our prizes.

We want to thank everyone who entered the Grainews Giveaway, but as you know we could only have 12 winners. In no particular order, the winners of the Versatile 4WD 500 collectible tractors are listed below.

Season’s Greetings, and have a safe and happy holiday!

• Neil Rintoul, Lucknow, Ont.
• Diane Gorr, Three Hills, Alta.
• Allan Strank, Oakville, Man.
• Eileen Henderson, Fort Qu’Appelle, Sask.
• Brian Evans, Belwood, Ont.
• Rodney Strecker, Beausejour, Man.
• Jeff Fitzsimmons, Colonsay, Sask.
• Paul Karlowsky, Brunkild, Man.
• Glen Voeller, Seven Persons, Alta.
• Jared Martin, Ituna, Sask.
• Alvin D. Wiebe, Niverville, Man.
• Debbie and Rick Pederson, Edmonton, Alta.

The post Grainews Giveaway contest winners! appeared first on Grainews.

Versatile has given Grainews 12 highly detailed, 1/32 Versatile 4WD 500 collectible tractors to give away as prizes (see photo above).

So, how do you get your hands on one of these fine-looking, Versatile collectible tractors? Here’s how you can enter:

• E-news: visit grainews.ca and subscribe to the Grainews daily e-news*
• Subscribe: subscribe or renew your print subscription to Grainews* online at grainews.ca or call 1-800-665-0502
• Twitter: retweet our Grainews Giveaway contest tweets or tweet @Grainews using the hashtag #GrainewsGiveaway #beVersatile
• Facebook: “Like” one of our Grainews Giveaway contest updates on the Grainews Facebook page

For all you social media fans out there, have some fun if you like and include a photo of you reading your copy of Grainews or with your very own Versatile (optional).

*The Grainews Giveaway contest starts on November 12 and closes December 12, 2014 so don’t delay! (see below for contest rules or click here to view or download the Grainews Giveaway promotion)

We plan to have more Grainews Giveaway’s in the future so make sure you keep in touch!

CONTEST RULES: You may enter the draw in one of four ways: 1. E-NEWS: Visit grainews.ca and subscribe to Grainews daily e-news; 2. SUBSCRIBE: Subscribe to or renew your print subscription to Grainews online at grainews.ca or call 1-800-665-0502; 3. TWITTER: Retweet our Grainews Giveaway contest tweets or tweet @Grainews using the hashtag #Grainewsgiveaway #beVersatile, 4. FACEBOOK: Like one of our Grainews Giveaway contest updates. No purchase is necessary. Each subscription shall be treated as a separate entry. Entries must be received on or before 4 p.m. December 12, 2014. Prize: FBC Communications Limited Partnership, will present the winner with one 1/32 scale Ertl, Versatile 500 4WD model tractor, as is and without warranty with an approximate retail value of $70. Eligibility subject to verification. General Rules: a) A random draw will be made in Winnipeg, Manitoba at 12 p.m.on December 15th, 2014; b) In order to win, the contestant must first correctly answer a time-limited, mathematical, skill-testing question. Before being declared the winner, the contestant will be required to sign a declaration and release form which includes the following: i) confirms compliance with the draw rules and acceptance of prize as offered ii) acknowledges the non-responsibility of FBC Communications Limited Partnership; iii) acknowledges the right of FBC Communications Limited Partnership to publish the winner’s picture, name and address without charge or compensation other than the prize offered. c) The prize is not transferable or refundable and has no cash value. d) The decisions of the judges with respect to all aspects of the draw are final. f) The chances of winning are dependent on the total number of eligible entries received. All entries become the property of FBC Communications Limited Partnership which assumes no responsibility for lost, misplaced or misdirected entries. This draw is subject to all federal, provincial and municipal laws and regulations. g) The draw is open only to persons who are residents of Canada (excluding the Province of Quebec) and who are the age of majority, according to the province in which they reside, excepting employees of FBC Communications Limited Partnership, the judges and members of their respective families and persons with whom they are domiciled.To receive the name of the winner, please send a postage-paid, self-addressed envelope within six months after the draw date to FBC Communications Limited Partnership, Box 9800, Winnipeg, MB R3C 3K7 or read the name of the winners at grainews.ca after December 15th 2014.

The post Grainews Giveaway appeared first on Grainews.

Even though he doesn’t speak a word of Ukrainian, Airdrie vet Cody Creelman, was drawn to the online videos of Vadim Pryadko, who lives in a town called Khmelnitsky near the Polish border.

“We developed a relationship,” said Creelman. “We started talking about what type of practice he was at, what kind of school he went to, about his family. He had lots of questions about how we do things in the West in terms of cow medicine. He was keen to learn how to manage different diseases, our vaccination protocols, and antibiotic strategies.”

It all started when Creelman, also an avid videomaker, left a comment on Pryadko’s YouTube channel, saying that he wished he could understand the words in the video. Since Pryadko doesn’t speak English, he used Google Translate to add subtitles and to communicate with his new Alberta friend via the social networking sites Facebook and Google Plus.

Pryadko works for a large dairy, as well as at an equine stable. There are only a few veterinarians in his city of around 300,000, so he also treats dogs, cats, mules and horses.

His excellent videography skills made him a shoe-in for an annual video competition put on by diagnostic imaging company BCF Technology, which this year is offering a prize of an Easi-Scan portable ultrasound unit for cattle and equine veterinarians valued at US$14,000.

“Since he doesn’t speak English, he had no knowledge of the contest,” said Creelman, who entered his friend in the contest. “We collaborated together. He had all the muscle, I just had a couple of ideas for him.”

Read the full article on the Alberta Farmer Express website.

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