Plant pathologist Ieuan Evans looks at still-circulating miconceptions about pine and spruce trees, shelterbelts, salt, dog food, bison, milk and more.
Tag Archives seeds
Common mistakes and misinformation
Practical Research: A compendium of miscellaneous misconceptions now floating around farm country
Arctic doomsday seed vault gets more than 14,000 new samples
The Svalbard Global Seed Vault, storing food crop seeds from around the world in man-made caves on a remote Norwegian Arctic island will receive more than 14,000 new samples on Tuesday, a custodian of the facility said.
Research lights up pulse flours’ specific properties
A project uses Saskatoon’s synchrotron to dissect the best flours for given food uses
Glacier FarmMedia — Pulses have a niche in the plant protein space, but the industry hopes new markets and new end-uses will help those crops expand their footprint. Chitra Sivakumar, a doctoral researcher at the University of Manitoba, is one of the people trying to make that happen. In a recent project, she and her […] Read more
Russia extends quota on ‘unfriendly’ country seed imports, Interfax reports
Russia on Monday extended quotas on the import of certain types of seed from countries designated as "unfriendly", the Interfax news agency reported, citing the Russian government's press service.
Harvest, part 3: Saving seeds
First We Eat: Select the best from your fall harvest to bring forward in spring
Some years ago, I went on a road trip — a research tour for a book I envisioned writing about small-scale organic and sustainable farmers in Western Canada. I drove from my home in Calgary through the mountains into the verdant interior valleys of B.C., then west to the coast, to Vancouver Island and up […] Read more
Seedy Saturdays
First We Eat: A freshly pulled carrot from the garden will remind you why this vegetable is such a mainstay
Back in March, I joined a crowd of people purposefully moving from booth to table to booth at St. Mary’s Wellness and Education Centre in Saskatoon. The occasion was the annual Seedy Saturday, an opportunity amidst the snow and ice for gardeners to buy seeds and think about spring. Seedy Saturdays occur across Canada under […] Read more
Garden seeds lead to problem weeds
The names in the garden catalogues may sound pretty, but the plants are far from that in pastures or fields
Glacier FarmMedia — Manitoba rancher Herman Bouw was casually perusing a gardening seed catalogue when a particular ornamental grass item caught his eye. The plant was listed as “squirrel tail grass,” but Bouw thought it looked awfully similar to a species with a more cursed name on the Prairies. A comparison of scientific names confirmed […] Read more
Rebate roundup 2024
Cash-back rebates and rewards programs provide growers with much-needed certainty
Canada’s crop input market faces multiple challenges and growers will look to get the most bang for their buck when purchasing fertilizer, seed and pesticides for 2024. Grainews aims to make that process a little easier with its annual rebate roundup feature that examines some of the cash-back rebates and other reward programs available to […] Read more
China approves seed firms for GMO corn and soybeans
The world's biggest buyer of soybeans and corn wants to reduce its reliance on imports
China has approved a first batch of seed companies to breed and sell genetically modified corn and soybean seeds, paving the way for commercial planting of GMO grains in a move that could cut its reliance on imports from the U.S. and Brazil.
Before you place your seed order, consider this
Q & A with an expert
Q: What should I consider when choosing seed varieties for the next growing season? A: Seed-selling season seems to come earlier each year. Though it feels counterintuitive to buy next year’s seed before current crops are in the bin, logistics and contra- season seed production in South America make it necessary to start this process […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
