Reading Time: < 1 minute Feeding the nine billion-plus people expected to be living on our planet by 2050, from a land base that’s not expected to get any bigger, is the question posed to young “thought leaders” at this year’s Youth Ag-Summit. Grainews and Country Guide field editor Lisa Guenther is in Canberra this week for the event, hosted […] Read more
YOUTH AG-SUMMIT: Food challenges in focus
Farm At Hand farm app turns into an angel of an idea
As Kim Keller is proving, the test today is whether we can get innovative about how we handle our innovations
Reading Time: 8 minutes Admittedly, it’s hard to say exactly what makes any innovation a success, or why farms are such fertile ground for new ideas. Maybe it’s the opportunity to test new ideas under real-world conditions. Or because farmers are so practical, or so resourceful, or because they know how to persevere. Or, today, maybe it’s more likely […] Read more
Herbicide resistance, selection pressure, reducing options for weed control
Pay close attention to weeds that survive herbicide applications, says one U.S. farmer
Reading Time: 5 minutes Arkansas has been ground zero for herbicide-resistant weeds. For instance, the state is second only to Australia in the amount of herbicide-resistant ryegrass in wheat. “We’re actually running out of herbicides, making it difficult for us to even grow wheat in Arkansas, because of the levels of resistance that we have,” said Dr. Bob Scott. […] Read more
French durum player on fact-finding tour of Canada
Reading Time: 2 minutes Saskatchewan durum growers may have an unexpected visitor this summer. Since early May, Quentin Renault has been visiting farmers in Saskatchewan’s durum basket as part of a two-year study into Canadian durum. Renault is a development officer with Durum SAS, a French company that markets French durum. Durum SAS also buys Canadian durum as needed […] Read more
Guenther: Manage risks around weather-stressed pastures, forages
Reading Time: 3 minutes Mother Nature has dealt a weak hand to many northwestern Saskatchewan livestock producers this year as frost, a cool spring and dry weather have hit pastures and hay stands. But there are still a few strategies for producers to make the best — and avoid the worst — of what the weather has left them. […] Read more
NW Sask. sees patchy canola, better cereals
Reading Time: 2 minutes Spring has been tough on many canola crops in northwestern Saskatchewan. “Canola — it’s kind of hit and miss. They’re just all over the place,” said Stephanie McMillan, an agronomist with AgriTeam Services at Glaslyn, Sask., about 90 km south of Meadow Lake. One field might have some plants at the two- to four-leaf stage, […] Read more
Dry spring puts Sask. grass, hay in short supply
Reading Time: 2 minutes A dry, cool spring has checked pasture growth in Saskatchewan and a hay shortage is looming. The province’s latest crop report notes topsoil moisture in hay fields and pasture is rated 42 per cent short and 24 per cent very short. Crop district 7A, in west-central Saskatchewan, has the dubious distinction of being the driest […] Read more
Guenther: Rain drops in on NW Sask.
Reading Time: 3 minutes Farmers and ranchers in northwestern Saskatchewan received much-needed rain late last week and over the weekend. Tom Brown raises cattle and is a crop reporter for Saskatchewan Agriculture and the reeve for the Rural Municipality of Mervin. His farm at Turtleford, about 80 km east of Lloydminster, received 11 mm of rain on Thursday night, […] Read more
Soil bacteria may offer weapon against late blight in potatoes
Reading Time: 2 minutes Potato producers may soon have a new ally in their battle against late blight, and it’s right under their feet. Researchers have discovered bacterial strains in the soil that show promise as disease controls. Some bacteria suppress or inhibit late blight by over 90 per cent, according to an Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) release. […] Read more
VIDEO: Moving your farm data from field to cloud
Reading Time: < 1 minute Cloud computing is coming to the farm. For more information on what cloud computing is, how it might benefit your farm, and what you need to think about before you send your data to the cloud, check out this interview with Kim Keller. Kim Keller is co-founder of Farm At Hand, an app that allows […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
