While dropping oil prices have boosted the U.S. economy, how the price slump will affect the outlook north of the border remains a question mark from where Canada’s largest lender sits. “In Canada, it’s a little bit less clear-cut. And the reason is our energy sector is much larger as a share of the overall […] Read more
Cheaper crude clouds Canada’s economic fortunes
Guenther: Indigenous ag summit cultivates global ambition
Elmer Eashappie is an idea man. And on his mind today is an agricultural summit connecting First Nations groups worldwide to network and learn, all under the umbrella of Canadian Western Agribition. And that idea is closer to reality than one may think. Eashappie, an Agribition board member, is chairman of the Indigenous Agriculture Summit, […] Read more
Clock ticking on FNA-led group’s proposed play for CWB
Farmers of North America (FNA) executives are pleading for more time from the federal government to help farmers hammer out a deal to buy the former Canadian Wheat Board. FNA has created a new organization, Genesis Grain and Fertilizer LP, to build a farmer-owned grain handling and fertilizer sales and distribution company. As of Tuesday, […] Read more
Hybrid rye to be tested in Manitoba
FP Genetics and Paterson Grain are rolling out a demonstration program for a new hybrid fall rye in Manitoba. The new hybrid, dubbed Brasetto, yields about 25 per cent higher than existing varieties, says Ron Weik, seed portfolio manager with FP Genetics. Brasetto is also four to six inches shorter than Hazlet, he adds. “And […] Read more
Whether to spray for fusarium: flowering period is key
Wet weather in eastern Saskatchewan and much of Manitoba means farmers likely have fusarium head blight risk on their minds. But cereal grades are only at stake risk if environmental risks match up with flowering, a crop pathologist says. Vikram Bisht, field crop pathologist with Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Development, says two or three […] Read more
Guenther: Cereal crops hit with ergot needed for livestock project
Saskatchewan Agriculture wants to hear from farmers who find ergot in their cereals this summer. The ministry is asking producers to start scouting for the disease a week after crops start flowering and report ergot to their regional offices as soon as it’s detected. It’s all part of a new project designed to help livestock […] Read more
Guenther: Wanted for science: Southern Alberta canola fields
A University of Manitoba researcher will lead a group of researchers who aim to pinpoint avirulence genes in blackleg found in farmers’ fields. The group will also study how the fungus adapts to different canola cultivars and how agronomy affects blackleg populations. They’re currently looking for farmers in southern Alberta to allow them to collect samples once or twice a year during the four-year study.
Crops in northwestern Sask. faring relatively well
While crops in southeast and east-central Saskatchewan struggle against surplus moisture, fields in the province’s northwest generally look good. “As long as nothing silly happens between now and harvest we should be good,” said Dave Shepherd, manager of AgriTeam Services at Glaslyn, 67 km north of North Battleford. Errin Tollefson, agronomist with Cavalier Agrow at […] Read more
Soaked Manitoba soils may take out some insect pests
Crops may not be the only casualties of drenched Manitoba soil. Under the right circumstances, superfluous rain can kill insect pests, too. Most of Manitoba’s southwestern corner and parts of the province’s Interlake region were hammered with 176 to 200 per cent of normal precipitation between May 1 and last Sunday (July 6). The Virden […] Read more
Guenther: In dry SW Sask., past flood damage still lingers
Four years later, rancher Eric Lawrence is still feeling the effects of the Maple Creek flood. On June 17 and 18, 2010, a severe rainstorm dropped about 100 mm in Maple Creek, which hugs the north side of the Cypress Hills in southwestern Saskatchewan. The rain fell on the heels of the wettest May and […] Read more
Canadian Cattlemen Presents: Depth of Field
