Sean Stanford doesn’t have a degree in computer science. He isn’t set up with the latest precision agriculture equipment. In a world where some look at individual rates for each spray nozzle, Stanford still seeds and sprays at a uniform rate. He is not set up for any variable-rate application and sees little value in
Are farmers drowning in data?
Precision farming data can help identify problems, target treatments and boost productivity, but how do farmers turn it into something useful?
Crop Portal gives a free taste of using farm data
Demonstration tool shows how data can be put to use on the farm
Sarah Lepp has another tool in the tool box for agronomists and farmers who want to analyze farm data. The senior research associate with Niagara College Research and Innovation leads a team developing Crop Portal, a free tool which allows users to upload yield and input data, elevation mapping, soil tests and weather information. The
U.S. wheats get limited nod for forage use
The varieties are limited to a small region of British Columbia
A British Columbia company has got a bit of breathing room in its efforts to promote forage wheats, but it’s not necessarily setting a precedent. Premier Pacific Seeds successfully argued its case to gain a limited interim registration for four U.S. soft winter wheat cultivars (Yamhill, Madsen, Kaseberg and Brudage) were better suited than any
Research to go to a good home
‘Adopt a Plot’ campaign turns to crowdfunding to test novel intercrop combinations
Lana Shaw has a long list of crop combinations she would like to test in the intercrop trial plots, and she hopes farmers themselves will give her the funds to get that research off the ground. The researcher from the South East Research Farm is back again with another crowdfunding research campaign. Shaw is asking
Organic wheat varieties waiting in the registration gate
Registration trials will have to wait for farm-developed organic wheat varieties while changes are made to the proposed trial design
The University of Manitoba’s farm-based organic wheat-breeding program is ready to start towards commercialization, but the body responsible for recommending new genetics to the CFIA says there is still work to be done. Jamie Larsen, chair of the Prairie Recommending Committee for Wheat, Rye and Triticale (PRCWRT), says a proposed trial plan submitted this year
Beef industry blasts new transport regs, but pork and chicken say OK
New regulations have shortened trips between rest stops and expanded the definition of ‘unfit’ or ‘compromised’ animals among other changes, but not everyone in the livestock sector is impressed
Animals will have less time between stops under new federal transportation rules, but the cattle industry says the changes may actually miss the mark on animal welfare. Both the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association and Manitoba Beef Producers have accused the federal government of ignoring its own research and argue that the overwhelming majority of cattle arrive
Time for a new balance on pulse protein-yield trade-off
The group that recommends new pulse varieties for registration with the CFIA says it hopes to “bolster” or, at the least, “hold the line” on protein
Canada’s pulses have a protein problem, and now the group that recommends varieties for CFIA registration says it’s time to add it back into the equation. The shortfall was under scrutiny during the latest annual meeting of the Prairie Recommending Committee for Pulse and Special Crops (PRCPSC) in Saskatoon Feb. 25-28. The committee highlighted the
Record-breaking cultivar list clears the PRCWRT
The PRCWRT has sent a record number of varieties up the chain for hopeful registration this year
There are a record number of new varieties on their way up to seek registration with the CFIA after the Prairie Recommending Committee for Wheat, Rye and Triticale recently met in Saskatoon. The body responsible for recommending new varieties for registration had 41 cultivars under the microscope this year, with 37 earning the green light.
Hodgins named 2019 provincial TESA winners
The couple from southwestern Manitoba has made their mark with direct marketing, public outreach and holistic management, earning them a nod from MBP
Cameron and Lisa Hodgins of Lenore will be next to represent Manitoba when the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association hands out its national TESA award later this year. The couple claimed the provincial TESA award in early February, handed out by the Manitoba Beef Producers every year to a farm that demonstrates exemplary environmental stewardship in its management. Why
Unrau receives MBP lifetime achievement award
The award is based on his years of service in both provincial and national organizations
There are very few organizations in the Canadian beef sector Martin Unrau hasn’t been a part of. He’s the former head of the Manitoba Cattle Producers Association (the forerunner of Manitoba Beef Producers) and was president of the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association. He helped chair the National Beef Strategic Planning Group. He has been a mentor