Crops may not be the only casualties of drenched Manitoba soil. Under the right circumstances, superfluous rain can kill insect pests, too. Most of Manitoba’s southwestern corner and parts of the province’s Interlake region were hammered with 176 to 200 per cent of normal precipitation between May 1 and last Sunday (July 6). The Virden
Soaked Manitoba soils may take out some insect pests
Guenther: In dry SW Sask., past flood damage still lingers
Four years later, rancher Eric Lawrence is still feeling the effects of the Maple Creek flood. On June 17 and 18, 2010, a severe rainstorm dropped about 100 mm in Maple Creek, which hugs the north side of the Cypress Hills in southwestern Saskatchewan. The rain fell on the heels of the wettest May and
Guenther: Cutworms eye new Prairie soybean acres
Some soybean growers in Saskatchewan’s southeastern corner are dealing with unwelcome dinner guests. Brad Eggum, of Eggum Seed Sales, was scouting a soybean field when he came across cutworms by chance. “The beans were struggling to get through and we were just checking the emergence and started finding (cutworms),” says Eggum, who farms near Halbrite,
Guenther: Scout now for flea beetles
Flea beetles are on the march and Prairie farmers need to scout canola fields to keep them at bay. “I’ve seen some fields where flea beetles’ levels are high enough where it has warranted spraying. Again, like every year, it is spotty,” Lyndon Hicks said during an interview here during Canada’s Farm Progress Show. Hicks
FNA pins down south-central Sask. site for Project N
Regina — Farmers of North America (FNA) will be breaking ground at Belle Plaine, Sask., for its farmer-owned nitrogen plant. “For strategic reasons it’s a very good site,” FNA spokesperson Bob Friesen said in an interview here Wednesday at Canada’s Farm Progress Show. The Belle Plaine site, about 40 km west of Regina, has access
Guenther: Demand, supply carry cattle producers to ‘this year country’
Maple Creek, Sask. — Ranchers are all too familiar with the mindset behind the phrase “next year country,” which implies hope for better times ahead. But as one rancher at the Cow Town Livestock Exchange put it, it looks like they’ve now entered “this year country” instead. It’s no wonder cattle producers feel more optimistic:
Guenther: NW Sask. growers hustle within seeding window
Jay Millard is chipper so far this seeding season. “The weather’s been good. It’s warmed up and things are growing. That’s as good as it gets,” he said. Millard farms about 3,500 acres in the Livelong area, about 90 km northwest of North Battleford, Sask. As of Friday he has about 2,000 acres under his
U.S. won’t move on COOL before WTO does, Ritz says
Canada’s trade pact with the U.S. and Mexico, which came into effect 20 years ago back in January, has long been a point of pride for free-trade advocates. Federal Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz, in Mexico this week meeting with his U.S. and Mexican counterparts, told reporters the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) “has proven
CP, grain handlers plan for face time
Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) and players in the Prairie grain industry are ready to sit down at the same table and discuss logistics issues, representatives from both industries said. In a media release last week, CP CEO Hunter Harrison said the railway has contacted customers and stakeholders such as the Western Grain Elevator Association (WGEA).
Guenther: Trade’s eyes on U.S. winter wheat in crop report
Drought in the southwestern U.S. Plains is expected to focus traders on hard red winter wheat numbers in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s next crop production report due out Friday. “The trade currently looks for about 780 million bushels, which is above the 2013 level but well below a 10-year average of nearly 900 million bu.,”
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