Reading Time: 4 minutes Statistically, early seeding equals higher yield, at least over the long term. But how early can you seed without having a wreck due to cold spring conditions? Earlier than you might think, apparently. Last spring, Jay Schultz started seeding his CWRS wheat (mainly Brandon, with some Eli and Viewfield) on April 15 — the earliest […] Read more
Pushing the wheat seeding envelope
Good seed treatments are recommended, but research at Lethbridge suggests you should start the drill when the soil is at 2 C
Five acclamations in Alberta Wheat Commission election
Reading Time: < 1 minute Three directors and two regional representatives for the Alberta Wheat Commission (AWC) were acclaimed, according to a statement issued by the commission. Each of the five regions of the AWC includes two directors and three regional representatives, serving a maximum of two consecutive terms of three years. The directors are sitting members of the board […] Read more
Canada Northern wheat class struggles for acreage
It turns out that it’s hard to knock CWRS off its perch as the preferred wheat class for customers and farmers
Reading Time: 5 minutes Some touted it as the new high-yielding wheat class that would free farmers from the rigid standards of CWRS, but nearly four years after its creation, Canada Northern Hard Red (CNHR) hasn’t made much of a dent in Prairie wheat acreage. Some predicted CNHR’s acres would rival or even surpass Canada Western Red Spring. The […] Read more
Sorting out the stacks
New research in Alberta suggests big yield gains for wheat when combining some agronomic practices — especially dual fungicide applications
Reading Time: 6 minutes Farmers experiment with their agronomic practices all the time. It’s not uncommon to see them “stack” inputs, for instance by combining fertilizer, plant growth regulators (PGRs) and fungicides to see which combinations boost their yields. But until recently, there has been little in the way of small-plot research into the yield potential of stacking agronomic […] Read more
Nutrient balance key to avoiding sulphur deficient soils
Production of more high-sulphur demand crops such as pulses and canola is creating a shortage in some fields
Reading Time: 4 minutes In order for any crop to use fertilizer efficiently, it needs to have all of its nutrient deficiencies met, says Miles Dyck, an associate professor of soil science in the department of renewable resources at the University of Alberta. The most common nutrient deficiencies in Western Canada are nitrogen and phosphorus, but because of the […] Read more
The great western winter wheat rescue is on
Researchers and marketers are combining their efforts to revitalize a crop stuck in a multi-year decline
Reading Time: 5 minutes It can yield up to 40 per cent higher than spring wheat. It’s competitive with weeds. It helps prevent soil erosion. It spreads out the farm workload, with seeding and harvest windows different from spring crops. It’s the world’s most common type of wheat traded. And it’s duck-friendly. So what’s not to like? You’d think […] Read more
The ‘Holy Grail’ in cereal technology
Can wheat and barley really be taught to act like pulses, and produce their own fertilizer?
Reading Time: 5 minutes A new research project funded by the Alberta Wheat Commission and the Saskatchewan Wheat Development Commission will try to answer a question that has bedevilled plant scientists for years: can cereal crops be made to fix their own nitrogen the way legumes do? The AWC is spending $100,000 to have Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada scientists […] Read more
If you can’t beat ’em, clip ’em
New methods of mechanical weed control show promise, but don’t expect a yield increase the first year
Reading Time: 8 minutes With the high and growing percentage of Prairie cropland infested with herbicide-resistant weeds, researchers are turning their attention back to mechanical control, but that doesn’t necessarily mean tillage. The Alberta Wheat Commission and Saskatchewan Pulse Growers are partnering on a three-year research project at the University of Saskatchewan which is evaluating in-crop weed clipping as […] Read more
Better than meets the eye?
Canada’s quality-control system still has a lot of support, but some are calling for grades to be determined by machines, not the human eye
Reading Time: 4 minutes Is that No. 2 CWRS just as good for milling and baking as a No. 1? Or does that No. 1 CWRS have some quality damage that can’t be seen with the naked eye, making it no better than a No. 2? The answer could be yes in both cases, sometimes, in cases that might […] Read more
Mixed reactions from farm groups to Bill C-49 progress
Reading Time: 2 minutes Commodity News Service Canada – Western Canadian producer groups support changes to rail transportation in Canada but vary on support of the latest legislation, Bill C-49. Bill C-49 passed its third reading in the House of Commons Nov. 1 and is now off to the Senate for review. The bill is meant to amend the […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
