Canadian Pacific Railway is ready to move Western Canada’s bumper 2016 crop, but is disappointed surplus system capacity isn’t being used now. “We have been idle in terms of cars in service really since about May,” John Brooks, CP’s vice-president of sales and marketing for intermodal and grain said in an interview Aug. 11. “So
CP Rail raring to move expected bumper crop
A company executive says the grain-handling and transportation system learned lessons from the 2013-14 shipping backlog
Manitoba potato growers, gardeners need to scout for late blight
Home gardens can be a source of infection for the fungal disease that can spread to commercial potato fields
Manitoba gardeners need to scout for late blight in their tomatoes and potatoes — not just to protect themselves, but the provinces’s 64,500 acres of commercial potato production. Late blight — the same fungal disease responsible for the Irish potato famine in the late 1840s — was detected July 16 in a potato field near
Consider straight combining canola to better manage harvest
Canola Council of Canada says it’s a good strategy if you have more acres than can be swathed at the ideal time
Straight combining canola can help farmers better manage harvest, but it won’t necessarily result in higher yields. “Compared to optimal swath timing, straight-cut yields are going to be similar over the long term,” Angela Brackenreed, Canola Council of Canada’s eastern Manitoba agronomy specialist told the Eastman Crop Talk webinar Aug. 4. “We are certainly leaving
KAP wants action to get grain moving through Churchill this year
Dan Mazier says contracts have been made and not meeting them sends the wrong message about Canada as a grain supplier
Keystone Agricultural Producers (KAP) president Dan Mazier is dismayed by delays in reopening the Port of Churchill to export grain this year. “I will put this right at the feet of the federal government — either the transport minister or the agriculture minister,” Mazier said in an interview Aug. 6. “There are (grain) contracts out
Want to be a Canadian Grain Commission commissioner?
There isn’t much time left to apply and you’ll face some stiff competition
If you always wanted to be a Canadian Grain Commission (CGC) commissioner, now’s your chance. Same for assistant chief commissioner and chief commissioner. The Canadian government is advertising the three positions, which are cabinet appointments, on the CGC’s website. Applicants must apply online. The deadline is Aug. 17. The jobs involve lots of travel in and outside of Canada and good salaries.
Analysis: Canada needs Churchill, but do grain farmers?
The port and bay line are vital to the northern economy, but so little grain moves the impact on the grain sector would be minimal
Canada’s grain industry doesn’t need the Port of Churchill, or its railway — but Canada does. Both are important to Canadian sovereignty in the North and are vital to the economies of Churchill and other northern communities. From a farmer’s perspective the more shipping options available the better. But if Churchill — Canada’s only northern
New Canada Northern Hard Red wheat class took effect Aug. 1
The West’s ninth milling wheat class is the new home for Faller, Prosper and Elgin ND
Big changes to Western Canada’s wheat class system took effect Aug. 1, the start of the 2016-17 crop year, and more are coming over the next three years. They’re designed to enhance Canada’s reputation for high-quality, high-gluten-strength milling wheat, while giving farmers the opportunity to grow higher-yielding wheats that have slightly lower strength, Daryl Beswitherick,
Staging critical for pre-harvest glyphosate
The crop must be mature before applying the non-selective herbicide
“Glyphosate is not a desiccant.” And just to be sure listeners got the message Manitoba Agriculture cereals specialist Pam de Rocquigny repeated the statement again during the Westman CropTalk webinar July 27: “Glyphosate is not a desiccant. “I no longer want to see anyone referring to when they are applying a pre-harvest glyphosate application… that
Low levels of fusarium head blight are being observed in some crops
Manitoba Agriculture cereals specialist Pam de Rocquigny has some management tips
Fusarium head blight (FHB) symptoms were appearing in unprotected winter wheat and spring cereal variety trials last week, but at low levels. “Typically the symptoms start to appear anywhere from 14 to 21 days after infection,” Manitoba Agriculture cereals specialist Pam de Rocquigny said during the Westman CropTalk webinar July 27. “For the most part
Pulse popularity portends bright future
Record attendance at this year’s Pulse and Special Crops Convention wasn’t a coincidence, says Pulse Canada president Gordon Bacon
It’s no coincidence that the popularity of pulse crops is rising as consumers become more interested in healthy eating, says Murad Al-Katib, president and CEO of Saskatchewan-based AGT Food and Ingredients. “As a food industry I think we have to be prepared for what could be a transformational earthquake that is coming with consumers where