Seeding season is underway, but many producers are facing fields like this one near Somerset.

Filling in the trenches before spring seeding

Producers are trying to find time to deal with the ruts they left while scrambling to get crop in last fall

Manitoba’s grain farmers are still racking up the butcher’s bill from last year’s “harvest from hell.” Some are still trying to get last year’s harvest off the field, some have been forced to burn that unharvested crop thanks to fields too wet or crops too far gone to be worth combining. Some are trying to

Pulse, cereal crops see seeding progress across Manitoba

Manitoba Crop Report and Crop Weather report for May 12

Southwest Region Cool and wet conditions were the norm last week. Moderate snowfall happened across much of the region, stalling all field activities for two days. Total precipitation was 2 to 10 mm in different areas. Snow melted quickly and producers were able to start some seeding again. Very cold overnight temperatures coupled with below


A kochia seedling breaks ground near Winkler in late March.

Spring weeds rise up well ahead of seeding efforts

Weed forecasts have farmers expecting to reap the consequences of last year’s lack of field work

Farmers are gearing up for spring seeding, but the weeds have already made it to the field. Manitoba’s provincial weed specialist, Tammy Jones, says producers are already starting from behind on weed control this year, thanks in large part to harvest conditions last fall. Why it matters: Seeding is stressful enough as is, but farmers

Turning precision ag data into higher profits

Turning precision ag data into higher profits

Seeding and Tillage: The fast-evolving technology can bring a lot of value if you know how to manage it

Adam DeVisser is a recent convert to using precision agriculture, but he’s practical about its application. “The value is not in computers making decisions for us, but in us making more informed decisions,” he said at a recent crops conference in Ontario. DeVisser and his fellow panellists — farmer Mark Brock and Brandon Dietrich of


David Rourke (right) takes a closer look at a green manure blend during an organic field tour near Boissevain this summer.

Field work gap means spring shifts for organic growers

Organic farmers are starting from behind this spring after little field work got done last fall

Organic farmers are gearing up for a more complicated start to the growing season after missing much of their field work last fall. Last year’s “harvest from hell” is still sending shocks through Manitoba operations, with wet weather leaving many farmers with unharvested acres and incomplete fertilizer applications. For the organic sector, that same delay

Drainage ditches were near capacity this fall after a rain- and snow-filled season.

Make spring nutrient plans now, say U of M soil scientists

The very wet fall last year has set the stage for a very challenging spring season

A series of looming challenges makes planning now for spring nutrient applications crucial, two Manitoba soil scientists say. A wet fall and stretched-out harvest kept many producers from applying nitrogen fertilizer. While spring nitrogen application is not unheard of, it will then have to compete with many other tasks, said University of Manitoba soil science


Visitors to Brooks and Jen White’s farm, Borderland Agriculture near Pierson, Man., got a closer look at adaptive grazing with bison in summer 2018.

Can regenerative agriculture products find a premium niche?

“We have a product that we should be able to demand a premium from. I just don’t know how to do it,” says Brooks White

Pipestone’s Brooks White needs no convincing about the biological value of regenerative agriculture. His fields of cover crops, annual stands grazed by bison, and adaptive pasture system speak for themselves of his commitment to this way of farming. And for that commitment he’s been rewarded — in the form of lower inputs, higher soil organic matter, more and better feed for his livestock and

Provincial weed specialist Tammy Jones says leaving small patches of survivors can quickly result in a huge problem as new and highly competitive herbicide-resistant weeds have arrived.

Losing the war on weeds

Tammy Jones has been doing the math on where herbicide resistance is taking Manitoba farmers and the numbers are grim

Tammy Jones spent four hours last summer wrestling with about 300 waterhemp plants in a Manitoba field, yanking them out of the ground by the roots and carrying them to the field edge for destruction. The provincial weed specialist was trying to demonstrate the value of controlling what might seem to be small patches of


Morris’ Quantum Air Drill had its first public appearance at Canada’s Farm Progress Show and its formal launch at Ag in Motion in 2018. (Grainews photo by Scott Garvey)

Ag equipment maker Morris in creditor protection

Downsizing and staff cuts lie ahead for well known Prairie farm equipment maker Morris Industries as the company enters creditor protection due to a “liquidity crisis.” The Court of Queen’s Bench in Saskatoon on Wednesday approved the Morris Group’s Jan. 3 application, which stays any proceedings or actions against the company until Jan. 18 at

On-farm research can best answer producer questions

On-farm research can best answer producer questions

Good things happen when farmers take field research into commercial farms

For most people agriculture research starts and ends with the small-plot work of research scientists and plant breeders at places like the Brandon Research Centre. Passing by their fields along the Grand Valley Road during the growing season reveals a patchwork quilt of small plots looking at everything from disease resistance to trait expression. There are some good reasons for the