canadian light source

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



Small paper envelopes stored in a closed glass jar in a cool dark space is an ideal containment method.

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


More seeds than I need from Seedy Saturday -- but good for sharing.

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

Wild foxtail barley on the edge of a canola field.

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

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



In canola, certain seed treatments have efficacy on flea beetles, cutworms, or both.

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

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Seed regulation consultation results released

CFIA 'anticipates' more consultations this winter

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is getting closer to updating its seed regulations. On Monday, the agency released a “What We Heard” report summarizing the responses of 315 individuals and groups who participated in an online survey from Feb. 15 to May 1. The CFIA is looking to update seed regulations to “reduce complexity, protect […] Read more