Digging into the cause of poor yields

Digging into the cause of poor yields

Did drought, fertility issues or something else lead to that poor crop? We look at the possibilities

Your client’s crop yielded poorly, and they assume it was due to drought. But you suspect it may be a fertility issue. How can you accurately diagnose the problem? Let us first examine what dry and drought mean. A dry year means reduced crop growth and reduced nutrient uptake, since biological, chemical and physical processes […] Read more

How should growers and agronomists interpret the gigabytes, even terabytes, of ag data available?

How to deal with the farm data deluge

The growers have all the data, but do they necessarily use it?

Glacier FarmMedia — The launch of the first GPS yield monitors altered the world of on-farm data collection. That was followed by variable-rate technology, precision planting and aerial/satellite imaging. Most growers have now been accumulating data for 20 years or longer — and many have resolved to keep that data in the hopes of finding […] Read more


Oats. (Greg Berg photo)

StatCan expected to raise estimate for oats production

Ending stocks estimate 'probably fairly accurate'

MarketsFarm — Ahead of the model-based Statistics Canada production report due out on Thursday, Scott Shiels of Grain Millers Canada in Yorkton, Sask. said it’s likely the agency’s numbers for oats will increase. StatCan issued its first model-based production report for 2023-24 on Aug. 29, which placed the country’s oats at about 2.429 million tonnes. […] Read more

(Keshin/iStock/Getty Images)

Quinoa production improves in 2022-23

Yields swing closer to average level

MarketsFarm — Compared to last year, Canada’s 2022-23 quinoa harvest has significantly improved, with yields exceeding expectations, according to Michael Dutcheshen of Saskatoon-based NorQuin. “Last year was a tough year for Canadian farmers for all crops, with quinoa no exception. This year is looking a lot more positive. We seem to have missed the hot […] Read more





Fall rye flowering in south-central Manitoba. (Allan Dawson photo)

Rye in strong position going into 2022

MarketsFarm — Last summer’s drought sharply reduced yields of many crops across the Prairies, leaving multiple supply challenges and rising prices in the aftermath. Western Canadian rye, however, was largely left unscathed, which may bode well for the crop heading into 2022. Rye production came in at 473,000 tonnes for 2021-22, according to Statistics Canada […] Read more

(Lentils.ca)

Pulse weekly outlook: Lentil prices steady to lower despite supply cuts

Lentil crop smallest in almost a decade

MarketsFarm — Just like many other crops in Western Canada, lentil production was cut sharply due to this year’s drought. Canada’s lentil crop was reduced by 37.2 per cent to 1.802 million tonnes for the 2021-22 marketing year, according to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s (AAFC) principal crop estimates from Friday. The total represents Canada’s lowest […] Read more