Of course it’s important not to choose your canola seed based solely on cost -- but the opposite can also hold true.

Finding the right fit: Choose your canola varieties carefully

The best one for your farm might be different than your neighbours’

When it comes to canola variety selection, short-sighted decisions can harm your long-term success, a panel told farmers attending Manitoba Ag Days. While the cost of seed and the potential returns are factors that influence many producers’ choices, they must also consider weed control, spring soil conditions and disease, agronomists said. Karen Fatteicher, an agronomist […] Read more

CDC Churchill in a plot at Ag in Motion in July. Farmers growing barley for feed are increasingly opting to grow malting varieties.

Fitting malting barley in your rotation

The price premium isn’t the only benefit malting barley offers

Farmers who grow malting barley in their rotation say there is a lot to like about the crop. It’s an early-maturing, drought-resistant crop that competes well with weeds. And if farmers meet the high standards required by malting houses, they can earn a handsome premium.  Although malting barley once yielded significantly less than higher-yielding feed […] Read more


Corteva recently introduced Trusource, a durum wheat which provides increased dietary fibre and could be commercially available to growers within a couple of years.

New tools could speed up development of cereal varieties

Selection is a business of evaluation, identification — and yes, rejection

When it comes to developing new varieties of cereal crops, the focus of those efforts can be as much about what doesn’t work as what does, says one breeding expert. Francois Eudes is the director of research, development and technology for the science and technology branch at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) at Lethbridge. As […] Read more

Aaron Onio, malting and brewing technical specialist with CMBTC, explains the nuances of beer making at the test brewery at the centre.

Critical factors in growing malting barley

While malting grade offers premiums, farmers must meet stringent quality standards to avoid being left with feed

As malting barley yields approach those of top feed varieties, farmers are increasingly choosing to grow malting barley in hopes of securing a premium price — even if their end goal is feed. The problem is, those premiums don’t come easily. Shawn Pasieczka, a food safety grain specialist with Richardson, is the arbiter of what […] Read more


Here’s a closer-up look at a plot of CDC Esme growing outside the SeCan booth at Ag in Motion at Langham, Sask. in July.

Essential oils: New Prairie oilseeds for 2025

Details on new sunflowers, mustards and flax

Seven new varieties of sunflower, mustard and flax will be available to plant in Western Canada next year, thanks to new seed releases from Corteva, Mustard 21, Nuseed and SeCan. Here’s a rundown on the new offerings. RELATED READING: Corteva: Pioneer P63HE920 is a high oleic sunflower hybrid that is suitable for growing in the […] Read more

BY 6219TF, shown here at right in a display plot at Ag in Motion in July, is billed as a medium-maturity canola suitable for all growing season zones.

New canola hybrids for 2025

Nineteen more options are on deck for Prairie canola producers

Looking for a new canola hybrid to plant? Nineteen are hitting the market next year, many of them featuring strong disease protection packages and improved pod shatter tolerance. Please note: the following list includes only brand-new hybrid releases for 2025. BASF InVigor L330PC is an early-maturing hybrid that comes with high yield potential and BASF’s […] Read more


saline soils in Manitoba 2024

Shop smart when selecting seed for salt tolerance

Soil tests are recommended before deciding how best to manage salinity

Glacier FarmMedia — Producers in Saskatchewan and Manitoba are asking plenty of questions about how to manage salinity in their soil. Jeff Schoenau, a soil science professor with the University of Saskatchewan, is among those fielding questions, although he says the amount of visible salinity in his province is “normal” for April. “I think probably […] Read more

Trying multiple varieties will better help Prairie growers understand what does -- and doesn't -- work on their fields, Horst Bohner says

Planting just one soybean variety is a ‘mistake’

Growers should try at least three, an Ontario soy expert says

Horst Bohner is convinced — completely so — that farmers should plant more than one variety of soybeans. If they don’t, they are making a “mistake,” he says. “As a basic starting point, I think every grower should seed at least three varieties. Every year. As a minimum. Hopefully more than that,” says Bohner, the […] Read more