Reading Time: 13 minutes Last year, the big news in soybean varieties could be summed up in one technological term: Xtend, which became part of the fall lineup for many of the seed companies. Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show was abuzz with talk about Xtend, with demonstration plots aplenty, and all sorts of signage promoting the new system’s platform, Roundup […] Read more
What’s new in soybean varieties for Eastern Canada in 2017?
Disease packages join newer herbicide-resistance technologies at the top of the value list
SeCan at 40
Born in 1976, is SeCan living up to its promise to deliver better, more cost-effective genetics by supporting public research?
Reading Time: 6 minutes In the days leading up to 1976, new public sector seed varieties were few and far between, as Ray Askin recalls things. Askin, who grows seed at Portage la Prairie and is today’s president of the Manitoba Seed Growers Association also remembers it as a time marred by disorganization. “SeCan gave a structured format for […] Read more
New in winter cereal varieties
The long-term outlook for cereal yields is up. Here’s why
Reading Time: 4 minutes We might refer to the category as “winter cereals” but everyone knows winter wheat is the undisputed leader in the field, and the picture for the crop took an even more positive turn late in 2015. An early soybean harvest and a long, warm fall, plus a greater commitment to longer rotations, made for an […] Read more
PBR breach to cost Saskatchewan seed grower $150K
Reading Time: 2 minutes A Saskatchewan seed grower will pay $150,000 to SeCan — the largest penalty in the seed company’s history — for breaching SeCan’s plant breeders rights (PBR). Harvey Marcil of Pasqua Farms near Moose Jaw, Sask., has also agreed to stop making unauthorized seed sales and was expelled from SeCan’s membership, Todd Hyra, SeCan’s business manager […] Read more
New in food-grade and edible beans
Market potential and the new Canadian health claim may boost interest and production
Reading Time: 4 minutes Canada’s reputation for excellence in the production and quality of identity-preserved (IP) food-grade soybeans and edible beans is a well-known advantage to those growers who contract to grow these crops on a regular basis. High proteins, high sugars, and unblemished seed coats are among the marks of excellence that attract buyers from around the world. […] Read more
The future of minor wheat classes
Recent changes in marketing and grading regulations should mean more acres, but non-CWRS wheats are still struggling to find their place
Reading Time: 4 minutes It’s a chicken-and-egg standoff. Prairie farmers are enthusiastic about the higher yields from minor classes like Prairie spring, extra strong and winter wheat, but they want an assured market. Marketers say they can sell it — if farmers grow a consistent supply. Then there’s the question or where to spend scarce research dollars. “Our association […] Read more
New in soybean varieties
New options will help the crop continue expanding its value and range
Reading Time: 12 minutes Canadian soybean production has grown up in the past 30 years. It seems a distant memory now that in 1985, Ontario was still the only major producer in the country, topping the million-tonne mark that year, well above the average of 690,000 tonnes earlier that decade. One year later, Quebec joined the market, and five […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
