Wheat seedling in measuring cylinder, close-up

Science can be a dirty word

The public doesn’t understand science, and reporters often don’t do a great job covering it. Not that there are good excuses, but here’s how it can happen


Science is a dirty word these days. Or perhaps just a word that more and more people don’t understand. And you should be concerned because that lack of basic scientific knowledge is driving distrust of modern agriculture. “It’s a big, big issue,” Al Scholz told me. Al is the executive director and registrar of the […] Read more

aerial photo of a crop farm trial

Don’t overdo on-farm trials

On-farm trials are the perfect way to test new technology on your farm

Greg Stamp likes to keep on-farm field trials on his southern Alberta farm simple. If he’s evaluating the effectiveness of a new fungicide or herbicide, for example, he’ll make two or three passes with the sprayer with the new treatment and then two or three more passes for the check strip (no new product). He’ll […] Read more


field of sunflowers

Interesting times ahead for farmers

Farmers are on the environmental front line. If they can keep the public onside, they could turn a curse into an opportunity

The proverb “may you live in interesting times” is often attributed to a Chinese philosopher. The phrase is supposed to imply that it’s better to live a boring, tranquil life, than an interesting, but perhaps stressful, one. But sleuth around a little on the Internet and you’ll find the so-called Chinese curse isn’t Chinese at […] Read more

man standing in a field of oats

Brassica may be a forage crop for all reasons

Ten-acre trial last winter, ‘made an excellent forage for swath grazing’

Several Alberta beef producers are paying attention this summer and winter to determine how a popular New Zealand crop, known as forage brassica, fits in with a range of grazing options here in Western Canada. This is all a spinoff from a 10-acre trial last winter, using the forage brassica (also known as rape or […] Read more


The Westco fertilizer story

Years of data from soil fertility tests have been collected on the Prairies. 
Now it’s time for Westco to share its data with farmers

This column is an impassioned plea to the upper management of Agrium / Crop Production Services to preserve the many years of excellent soil fertility work done by Westco. Most graphs that show crop yields and fertilizer use in the modern era start at 1960. It was August 31, 1960 that I crawled off the […] Read more

peas

Up and coming pea varieties

CDC Meadow and CDC Golden are currently the acreage kings for yellow peas in Saskatchewan. But two young guns could usurp one leader. CDC Saffron and Amarillo “could take the place of Meadow, for example.” Dr. Tom Warkentin told CropSphere delegates in Saskatoon last January. Warkentin specializes in pulse breeding and research at the University of […] Read more