irrigation Archives - Page 7 of 7

Manage water to optimize wheat, canola production

Use your irrigation system to its full potential by asking these four question about water needs

By Ross H. McKenzie June 15, 2015

Often the most limiting nutrient in irrigated crop production is water! Many irrigation farmers tend to under-irrigate their crops, which limits yield potential. Often the main reasons for under-irrigation are simply not checking soil moisture frequently and starting the irrigation system too late. Knowing the answers to these four questions can help. 1. How much water does […] Read more

Crops, Reuters, Weather

California curtails some senior water rights due to drought

By Reuters, GFM Network News June 12, 2015

Los Angeles | Reuters — California’s water board curtailed senior water rights on Friday in the state’s Delta, San Joaquin and Sacramento regions due to drought, in the first move of its kind during the current drought, officials said. The curtailment affects more than 100 senior water rights holders, with most of those located near […] Read more

Crops, Reuters, Weather

Drought prompts cuts to farm irrigation in California, Oregon

By GFM Network News May 15, 2015

Portland | Reuters –– The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation will cut the amount of federal irrigation water available to farmers along the Oregon-California border to half the annual norm as it grapples with a fourth year of regional drought, the agency said on Friday. Though the roughly 1,200 affected farms in the Klamath Basin had […] Read more

Columns

Water quality: Part 2 of a three-part series

There is a lot of talk about water quality issues, but not  all of the commonly-cited information is accurate

By Les Henry February 27, 2015

Note to readers: Before you read this article, I suggest you check back to page 14 of the April 15, 2013 issue of “Grainews.” The headline was “The Truth About Lake Winnipeg.” There will be some overlap with this piece. Water quality There are many aspects to water quality. For irrigation use, salt content is […] Read more

Columns, Crops

Thinking ahead: the next drought

After five wet years, its hard to remember that things will likely change in the future. But they will

By Les Henry February 2, 2015

Caution: before reading this piece please know that it is just thinking on paper. The objective is to plant the seed of an idea in the head of folks who are capable of making the equipment to make it all happen. Reality forces us to think in the moment. The natural human tendency is to […] Read more

Corn, Crops, Features

Corn could be your 2015 cash crop

If you thought you lived on the fringe of the corn-growing area,  it may be time to take a look at today’s varieties

By Michael Flood November 19, 2014

Farmers in Alberta are planting more and more corn. From 5,000 acres in 1990 the area under cultivation has expanded to over 40,000 in 2014. Alberta agriculture professionals expect this trend to continue, driven by increased demand from domestic livestock producers. Though corn requires high inputs, it can produce very high per acre yields, and […] Read more

Columns, Weather

We need a little global warming

Climate has been changing for the last  four billion years. Long-term weather  forecasts are anyone’s guess

By Les Henry April 9, 2014

On Sunday, January 5, I went out mid-morning to get a shot of fresh air — and it was fresh. The mercury thermometer on the garage stops at 40 below, which we all understand. The mercury was nearly curled up in the bottom: -37 C. Much of Canada and the northern U.S. has experienced a […] Read more

Columns, Crops

Faith, snuff and slough water

After a wet year, the water in your  slough may look clean. Test it first.  The results may surprise you

By Les Henry October 9, 2013

This is an update to an article that appeared in the September 2006 issue of Grainews. My Dad often talked about early bachelor settlers who lived on “faith, snuff and slough water.” In many cases on the Prairies it is a good thing they had strong faith and brought along lots of Copenhagen because the […] Read more

Daily Network News

U.S. researchers bet on hybrid, GMO seeds to make wheat profitable again

Hormuz-driven fertilizer shortage could raise grain prices, Goldman Sachs says

Prairie forecast: Arctic air keeps spring warming at bay

Tag Archives irrigation