The brand’s current offering now includes a digital pairing of its 8S and 9S tractors to the LB Series large square Hesston by Massey Ferguson balers.

At the Commodity Classic farm show in Texas, the brand announced new 8S and 9S tractors will soon be available for order directly from the factory with TIM.

“The other exciting thing we’ve been launching at this show is Tractor and Implement Management for our 8S and 9S tractors,” says Derek Reusser, senior marketing manager for high horsepower tractors with Massey Ferguson.

“It’s new for 2026. It’s really all about facing challenges our farmers are facing with skilled operators.

“It really allows the implement to dictate what the tractor does. When we think about large square baling specifically, based on your flake count target, it will change the operating speed of the tractor.”

Sensor counts flakes to control speed

A sensor on the knotter trip wheel sends information to the tractor to control its speed, allowing it to keep feeding material into the baler at an even rate, which helps produce consistent bales.

“TIM Drive is what it’s called,” says Reusser.

“The knotter trip wheel is essentially counting your flakes. That flake count is communicated back to the tractor. We’re giving that system the capability to change the speed of the tractor based upon what it’s measuring.

“The flake size is really what farmers are looking at. For an eight-foot bale, you want about a 2.4-, 2.5-inch flake size to deliver that consistent length. Usually farmers are looking for about 40 flakes on an eight-foot bale.”

Added Jessica Williamson, marketing manager for hay and forage with Massey Ferguson: “All of our LB Series large round balers already come pre-equipped with TIM … so it’s not an add-on for our customers. All of them are ready to be hooked to a tractor with TIM, regardless of baler size from our 3 x 3 up to our 4 x 4. It comes already equipped with TIM.”

Field trials show dramatic consistency gains

Williamson says Agco did field trials using TIM to see what impact it had on bale production. The results demonstrated a significant improvement, she claims.

“We wanted to see the overall improvement in bale consistency when implementing TIM versus not. We looked at having a mid- or lower-level operator and how it would improve overall bale consistency. Does this open up the tractor seat to someone with a lower level of skill?

“A mid-level operator got a 225 per cent overall improvement from bale to bale. He got about a two-inch variability in overall bale length.

“We’re improving flake count and overall bale length. Probably the most significant improvement we got was overall bale weight. In dry straw, we saw an 80 pound overall bale-to-bale improvement by implementing TIM. Eighty lb. in very dry straw is pretty significant.”

Factory-installed new, retrofits available

The system also has a use on Hesston by Massey Ferguson RB Series round balers. It stops the tractor when the chamber is full and allows the bale to tie and eject. All the operator has to do is start the tractor again.

For producers who already have an 8S or 9S tractor, the TIM software can be downloaded and installed on existing models. LB Series large balers have been equipped with TIM from the factory for the last two model years.

The post Massey Ferguson balers now tell tractors how fast to go appeared first on Manitoba Co-operator.

Called the Cubix, it’s the latest in large square balers from the German farm equipment manufacturer, winning a gold Innovation Award at Agritechnica last November.

So what makes it special?

The driveline on the Cubix is integrated into the frame to deliver direct power flow to the baler. Along with a pair of 202 kilogram flywheels, this helps put the Cubix’s output as high as 70 tonnes per hour in the field.

“For the starting process, you do not need a big tractor,” Daniel Moersch, Claas’s product manager for square balers, said at Agritechnica 2025 in Hanover, Germany.

By engaging only one flywheel at a time, the Cubix is also easier and more efficient to start.

Once the first flywheel reaches 1,650 r.p.m., the second flywheel engages. Once the speed of both flywheels match, a pair of clutches on each side of the baler kick in to get the rotor operational.

While a 250 horsepower tractor gets the Cubix running and baling hay in the field, Moersch said an operator won’t reach the high throughput the Cubix is capable of with that amount of horsepower. For that, he recommended tractors have 400 h.p. or higher.

The Cubix also uses a double loop knot design to secure bales. This helps eliminate twine waste and increases tensile strength compared with other bale knot designs.

Its six-knotter system also reduces the amount of twine needed and the time it takes to change twine.

Artificial intelligence has been incorporated into the Cubix’s design when it comes to controlling bale density.

AI-supported software also assists in maintaining target ranges of density, throughput and bale length.

If an overload is detected during operation, the Cubix automatically decouples the rotor and pick-up before a blockage can occur.

At this stage in its design, the Cubix requires a tractor to operate in the field, but future designs may not require this.

“We are looking at an all automatic driving baler,” said Moersch.

“For the moment, we are within the tractor implement system.”

Moersch said Claas plans to have a pre-series launch of the Cubix baler in 2027 with a complete launch sometime in 2028.

The post VIDEO: New Claas Cubix baler aims for high feed output appeared first on Manitoba Co-operator.

Manitoba Agriculture is launching a satellite-based forage insurance pilot program and expanding loan support for cattle producers, Agriculture Minister Ron Kostyshyn announced Thursday.

WHY IT MATTERS: Satellite-based indexing was one of the suggestions made by a forage insurance review, which released its findings in 2020.

The program will be rolled out by the Manitoba Agriculture Services Corporation (MASC) and will use satellite technology to estimate forage production.

“This will reduce reporting requirements for Manitoba forage producers,” Kostyshyn said at the Manitoba Beef Producers (MBP) annual general meeting in Brandon Feb. 12.

The program is the result of long-standing advocacy from producers, Kostyshyn said.

In 2020, following 2019 feed shortages that highlighted lack of producer participation in the programs, the province put its forage insurance offerings under the microscope. One of the suggestions from the review was implementing index-based insurance systems that depend on weather data or satellite technology to help estimate losses.

Program changes began to trickle out, starting in 2021.

Lessons from Saskatchewan

A similar program has already rolled out in Saskatchewan, according to MBP chief executive officer Carson Callum.

Around 40 Saskatchewan producers participated in a shadow pilot program using satellite data to track soil moisture. No premiums were required to take part and there were no payouts.

Saskatchewan then launched its satellite forage insurance program in January, replacing its previous Forage Rainfall Insurance Program, using technology that measures soil moisture at the township level.

“We’re looking forward to testing it here in Manitoba, to see how accurate it can be,” Callum said. “Anything we can do to reduce that administrative burden is crucial.”

Expanded feeder loans and Crown lands

Kostyshyn also announced additional financial support for cattle producers through an expansion of the Feeder Plus Loan Program. According to MASC, the loan program will offer up to 90 per cent of current market value, to a total of up to $5.75 million for large scale producers.

Manitoba Agriculture is also working on agricultural Crown land consultations with beef and livestock producers, Kostyshyn said. Crown land regulations have been a lightning rod for controversy and farmer criticism since widespread changes were announced in 2019, affecting how grazing and forage leases were allocated, the rights producers had to transfer leases, rental rates, and other points of contention. Regulations went through several rounds of changes across two provincial governments. The current regulations came into force in January 2024. Rate freezes have since been extended and auctions in both 2024 and 2025 cancelled as the government reassesses the system.

The post Manitoba greenlights satellite-based forage insurance appeared first on Manitoba Co-operator.

The choice can depend on the size of your operation, but Todd Botterill, a salesperson with AllAgParts, says that’s what he’s seeing and hearing.

Cost aside, Botterill says the Feed Eazy Pro 3020 tub grinder also significantly reduces the time it takes to grind up round bales for feed.

WHY IT MATTERS: Easily availabile equipment that offers an economy of operating cost is important for farms where the economies of scale aren’t top priority.

“What we’ve been finding here lately, the market had really been pushing towards the large TMR mixers,” he says, “but when you start grinding bales with them, quite often, you’re sitting there for an hour, hour and a half using a fairly large tractor … it’s a job that a tub grinder can do in five minutes.”

Botterill and his colleagues from AllAgParts were at Manitoba Ag Days in January, talking up the benefits of the Feed Eazy Pro 3020, a first-place winner in the Animal and Livestock category in the farm show’s Innovation Showcase.

The 3020 is the company’s mid-size machine, capable of grinding hay bales, silage bales or straw bales, Botterill said, although operators are not limited to these types.

The company produces a smaller and larger version of the 3020 as well.

“We can actually put in an attachment to grind grain as well for people who want to add grain to their mix,” Botterill says.

Livestock producers have been looking for alternative systems to speed up bale processing time and reduce operating costs, he says.

“They may still put (feed) in the TMR,” he says. “Some guys are actually going back to the less-expensive horizontal mixers, so it allows guys to reduce the cost of the machinery they’re using.”

Keeping costs low was key to making the Feed Eazy accessible to producers.

To achieve that, the 3020 unit is imported from overseas for finishing at Winkler, Man.

“Overseas production has allowed us to reduce a lot of the costs involved in getting the machine put together, but it hasn’t sacrificed any quality,” Botterill says.

The company they work with has a lot of experience working with North American companies and building to North American standards, he adds. Wear parts such as bearings or hydraulics can be easily sourced within North America when the time comes for replacement.

The result is a machine that’s tougher than its competitors, with a significant price advantage as well, Botterill says.

“There’s not a lot of fancy pieces in it,” he adds.

“I think (for) the majority of the guys we’re dealing with in Manitoba, this unit would be ideal.”

The post VIDEO: Feed Eazy bale grinder tops livestock innovation appeared first on Manitoba Co-operator.

While it’s not a very common practice, largely due to skepticism of the cold winter temperatures involved, research shows that it can work well in Western Canada.

It can help forages gain an earlier start than weeds, giving the crop a better chance to out-compete weeds and reduce weed pressure throuthout the growing season. It can also decrease the risk of spring compaction and crusting which could reduce emergence and plant counts.

Dormant seeding also makes a good fit for farmers looking to manage unproductive acres — like saline patches, soil crusting areas and problem weed patches like kochia and foxtail — in a way that won’t negatively affect their productive acres.

WHY IT MATTERS: Dormant seeding forages can give farmers an edge on managing challenging acres on their farm.

“By seeding those forages, it can help compete out those weeds and take over the area and fill in those bare patches,” said Jenai Buchanan, Ducks Unlimited Canada’s (DUC) marginal areas specialist for Manitoba. “It does take some time for the forages to fully take over. It can take two to three years to fully establish and touch up seeding is required. So patience is key.”

Dormant seeding falls into the eligibility of the DUC Marginal Areas Program which is available across the Prairies in the pothole region which spans southern Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

The program started in 2019, and can help cover some of the costs of seeding and establishing a forage stand.

It’s to the benefit of farmers, their land, and to DUC as the intent is also to increase biodiversity and habitat of an area. Buchanan said the program is simple to enroll in, and Manitoba still has room. Eligibility for the program can be assessed on the DUC website or by calling the organization.

The key to dormant seeding is soil temperature. That’s why it’s not done until the end of October or into November, when the soil temperature drops below 5 C. The main goal is to ensure there is no germination or emergence in the fall.

Even if it’s cooler in the air, it can take longer for the soil to cool — just like it takes a while for it to warm up in spring.

Jodie Horvath, a forage specialist for Canadian Forage and Grassland Association and an extension specialist with DUC in Saskatchewan, recommends waiting until the soil temperature drops further, to 2 C, to ensure there’s less risk of soil warming after a snow fall or if there’s a spurt of warm weather and hot sun.

If the seeds germinate in fall, they’ll winter kill and no longer be viable for spring — meaning a major loss for the field and the wallet. With that risk, a possible option is crop establishment insurance, Horvath added, but the terms can vary from province-to-province.

Tips and tricks

For the producers considering dormant seeding, Horvath and Buchanan have a few words of advice.

When it comes to the prep work, there is the field and the seed to consider.

The field must be clean of any weeds or cover crops. A fall burn off, tilling foxtail, or cutting down weeds are a few options to consider, but it all comes down to preference and knowing what’s best for the field. If a producer is considering a fall herbicide, Horvath had a word of warning, noting it’s important to know what was sprayed and how it could affect the forage crop being sown.

“You’re seeding right back into it, and you don’t want to set yourself up for a failure because of some residual herbicide,” Horvath said.

Use certified seed to ensure good germination, and consider the needs of the area and operation. Buchanan recommends diversity, notingfarmers should base their selections — of saline tolerant or flood tolerant forages for example — on what they’re seeing on their land.

When it comes to kochia, producers can consider custom blends and should employ strong weed control before seeding into it, such as mowing before it sets seed to help set it back and give next year’s forage a better chance.

Seed should also been sown at a heavy rate. It’s important to increase seed count by 30 per cent when dormant seeding to account for possible loss.

This increase isn’t uncommon when seeding into marginal areas, as Buchanan said even with spring seeding they recommend increasing by 15 per cent due to the challenging conditions for the forage seeds to compete in.

For the actual act of seeding, there are a few options: broadcast, seed drill or drone.

If seeding with a drill, the depth should be no deeper than an inch, similar to when seeding canola, since the seed itself is so small. Any deeper could cause reduced emergence and plant counts. If broadcasting with a seeder or drone, it’s important to harrow or roll afterward for adequate seed to soil contact.

“Broadcasting in the fall is a lot simpler,” Horvath said. “And the drone is really, really quite efficient at seeding, there’s no issues with blockage or anything that happens with a grass (forage) seed.”

Horvath has been part of a few trials and demonstrations with dormant seeding and marginal area seeding with drones. They’re a great option for seeding, if a producer has them. Last fall, she seeded 550 acres via drone, and had some mixed but overall good results this past spring for establishment. A year after seeding, the stand is looking well, she said.

However, it did take time — which is the most considerable piece the two experts warned. Patience is crucial, with a stand taking up to three years for resilient establishment.

“I think you have to be really cautious in the spring and when you use it next,” Horvath explained. “Like, don’t seed it in the fall and think you’re going to be having animals out there grazing (in the spring).”

In the first year, the plants are very vulnerable so animals could harm pull out the entire plant and harm establishment. However, cutting and baling come July is a safe option and also an excellent method of controlling any weeds growing in.

If producers want further advice, DUC is available with agronomic support for choosing seed blends, what to include in blends, as well as what methods to employ for strong establishment, and what to do once the stand is established.

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1. On the better soil, the crops are good or at least better than expected.
2. On the lighter or poorer crop ground, we see half of the crop on better soil.

This all goes to water retention or the ability of the soil to capture and hold moisture in the soil. Certain regions received rain earlier than others, and some types of soil have a limited capacity for retaining moisture. But, we can fix this by adding organic matter. The simplest way to do this is by grazing bales in the lighter soil.

On our farm this year, we have a patchwork of green oasis amid a sea of dried-up forages. It goes to prove the adage that water is the first and most important of the nutrients required for growing plants. You can have all the other nutrients balanced for the plants to grow and be healthy, but we need the right amount of water first.

As producers, it’s easy for us to become focused on the little things that influence our environment. Sometimes, we need to stop and look over the horizon.

Tariffs and farm profit

I follow producers from all around the world online. I enjoy seeing how producers in other areas of the world deal with the same problems we deal with. There is always more than one way to solve a problem.

So far, the new tariffs introduced in the United States haven’t had much impact on us at our farm and others in my network. Hopefully, that remains the case. But, from my take, it has been six months of confusion for nothing.

I recently met and talked with a group of regenerative producers from Australia (they were touring regen ag practicing operations in Western Canada) and they too could not understand the tariff goal on their country. It was one more thing we had in common.

Now, with abundant supply of crops, the price has dropped off the charts and below the cost of production. It is hard for any producer to forward market their next crop for a loss; they are dreaming of locking in a break-even price.

The U.S. can make payments to their crop producers this year to keep them in business, but the crop inventory surplus is still there and still needs marketing, thereby kicking the can down the road.

In Canada, the main cash crop for annual production has been canola; now dealing with tariffs from China. In the last few years, canola has been paying the bills and paying to grow a rotation crop (wheat, oats, barley) to reduce disease pressure. When I sit back and think about the market price on canola, I am pleasantly surprised that it has not dropped further than it has.

There has been talk about using canola and soybeans for biofuel. We already use corn and wheat for ethanol to mix into gasoline. Biofuel is planned to be incorporated into or used as a substitute for diesel fuel. I do have to question the ethics of “Food for Fuel” … do we no longer have hungry people to feed? Do we change the mantra from “farmers feed the world” to “farmers power the world?”

Another question I have about these practices is about the best use of energy: calories of energy going into a product versus calories of energy out of a product. How many calories of energy go into producing canola, to produce biofuel and, in turn, how many calories of energy will that biofuel produce? In my view, diesel fuel will produce cheaper calories of energy. We as Canadians need to have this discussion before we start putting our own and government money into these projects.

The science is out there, but no one is talking about this. I am not against value adding, I believe we as a producers should be encouraging value adding and making use of the byproducts in every way we can. Up-valuing all we can keeps money here in Canada.

Long-term beef planning

The livestock market is hot and getting hotter every day. Now is the time to plan how to stay in the beef business when it cycles back to falling markets, like the annual crop production is now.

All ag products run on cycles of supply and demand, high production and low production, profit and loss. Producers will often say when the returns are high, “this time it will be different” and when it crashes back down will say “Please give me one more chance at a high price and I will not spend it all on new equipment.”

When we look at the beef cycle, we see that we have finished the consolidation phase and have now entered the expansion stage of the cycle.

The demand for beef has been holding out well and should remain strong as long as the economy holds on. If consumers restrict their beef purchases because of personal finances, we will see a new reality.

From my conversations with ag lenders in the area, they are lending to a few young producers for cattle purchases. All these new producers are coming in with cattle experience from home and are adding to the family operation. Overall, we are still seeing many older producers leaving the industry and few producers stepping up to replace them.

Despite the beef market boom, over last five years we have seen many pastures and hay fields broken up for annual crop production. I strongly believe that 20 to 30 per cent of these acres should be put back into forages, primarily to maintain the cow herds and improve soil health, reduce disease and weed pressure. Of course, that raises the other side of the equation: if that put back were to occur, would there be enough forage seeds to plant 20 per cent of annual crop land to forage?

Now is the time to sit down with paper and pencils and work out how you are going to make your operation more profitable and survive the current crop market downturn. Remember that no one has the right answer for your operation, but by reaching out to leading producers in your area, government agencies like Manitoba Agriculture, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada or Manitoba Agricultural Services Corporation, and research groups like universities or the Beef Cattle Research Council, you can improve your own knowledge. If you are facing challenges, you cannot expect better results by doing the same thing repeatedly, as many producers tend to do. We must be proactive in our surroundings, not reactive. We need to take charge of our world.

At our local grazing club out of Lenore, the farm tour is always the highlight each year. We travel around our area to see what local producers are doing and trying out. We also visit with neighbours and, of course, consume a few barley pops to avoid dehydration.

A few years ago, I met a no-till producer who, after 25 years, was not happy with his soil health journey. He wanted to see bigger soil health gains and he thought that he needed to add a legume forage to his rotation.

He has since been happy with the soil’s response to an approach where he seeds once and harvests for the next three crops. In his mix he has 30 pounds an acre of fall rye, five pounds of hairy vetch, 20 pounds of oats, three to five pounds of millet, two to three pounds each of meadow bromegrass and orchard grass and three to five pounds of alfalfa.

On the first year, he does a chemical burnoff of spring growth and direct-seeds the blend in with a starter fertilizer. Late July or early August, a neighbour cuts and bales the crop, or cuts it for silage (silage seems to work better). In the second year, rye and hairy vetch are harvested for feed or seed in early July. After three to four years, hay is cut in July, then a chemical burn down is used before planting the following spring when the land returns to rotation. This has been a win-win deal for the annual no-till cropper and the cow-calf producer next door.

Please remember to reach out to others in this busy season and ask how they are doing. If you need to talk to someone, please reach out to the groups in the province that have farmer hot lines. You are not alone dealing with it all.

I hope to see you all at the 2025 Manitoba Forage and Grassland Association Regen Ag Conference Nov. 12-13 at the Victoria Inn in Brandon. It looks like another awesome agenda and the MFGA conference is always a great venue and opportunity for discussions and catch up with farmers interested in learning more about things you want to learn more about.

Larry Wegner is a former board member of the Manitoba Forage and Grassland Association and MFGA Wall of Fame inductee. This article first appeared as a blog post published by the Manitoba Forage and Grassland Association.

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In an Oct. 8 release, Manitoba Agriculture Minister Ron Kostyshyn said that “continuing this rent freeze provides financial stability for producers and reflects our commitment to affordability.”

The province further noted that Manitoba currently has the lowest Agricultural Crown Land (ACL) rental rate in Western Canada at $3.66 per animal unit month.

WHY IT MATTERS: Rental rates have been one key issue for farmers during the back-and-forth years-long battle over Crown land system changes.

The announcement comes as a relief for Crown land users, giving them more confidence after a challenging year, said Brent Benson, a Manitoba cattle producer and spokesperson for the Manitoba Crown Land Leaseholders Association.

“From extreme weather to the uncertainty of trade markets and feed supplies, some producers struggled to keep their family ranches operational without having to make decisions that would affect their sustainability or viability,” he said.

A long tale of Crown lands

The announcement matches a similar extension granted last November. At the time, the province’s freeze was set to expire at the end of 2024. That rate (reduced 55 per cent from the established rental formula) had been set after the government changeover in fall 2023.

That in turn followed a graduated rent reduction (initially halving rents in 2023, with a schedule to ramp them up over two years, later interrupted by the 2023 provincial election) put in play by the previous government. There has also been a temporary reduction in 2020 for certain feed challenged areas.

In 2019, sweeping changes to the Crown lands system had included a new rental rate based on market price. Rents multiplied several times over as a result, contributing to producer outrage over the changes. Other issues included the loss of unit transfers, shorter lease terms and valuation of land improvements.

In January 2024, current Crown land regulations finalized, taking effect under the governing New Democrats but including changes introduced by the previous Progressive Conservative government. Those rolled back some effects of the regulatory changes put in place in 2019, including a new mechanism for leaseholders to nominate a new leaseholder for the remainder of a term — a mechanism most interpreted as a replacement for the unit transfer — and an option to extend their 15-year leases by five years if they submitted a forage management plan.

Crown land auctions have been cancelled for the last two years as the province says they gauge the impact the controversial changes have had over the last six years on grazing and haying leases. However, cropping lease allocations ran for four days in February.

Cattle producers in the province are hoping to reach a system of “fair and predictable” rental rates and policies that give a hand-up to young producers entering the industry, Benson noted.

Around 1,750 leaseholders take part in the Agricultural Crown Lands program in Manitoba for grazing, haying and cropping, according to the province.

Engagement process launched

The province has also launched initial public engagement on the future of the ACL program through an online survey on EngageMB. Producers can share their thoughts on lease allocation methods, limits on the total amount of time a single leaseholder is allowed to hold and renewal options for more modern leases.

These consultations are necessary to ensure the ACL program gives producers what they need, said Matthew Atkinson, president of Manitoba Beef Producers.

“We strongly encourage beef producers to make their views known during this important engagement process as it will help shape the future of the program,” Atkinson said.

Resulting feedback will inform proposed regulatory changes, along with future consultation with stakeholders, Kostyshyn said. The updates are slated to take place in 2027. The survey is open until Nov. 24.

The post Manitoba extends Crown land rent freeze appeared first on Manitoba Co-operator.

A new variety from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada addresses the crop’s preference for ideal conditions by expanding the pH range in which it can be effectively grown, while bringing yield benefits.

WHY IT MATTERS: New and more resilient forage varieties could help growers across Canada mitigate the effects of climate change on growing conditions.

Papadopoulos, the AAFC research scientist behind the variety, says alfalfa does not perform well in acidic soils, or those with pH levels below 6.5. The more acidic a soil is, the more soluble aluminum becomes, which in turn inhibits alfalfa growth.

While lime can be applied to remedy pH, the input only works in the top 30 centimetres of the soil profile. And since alfalfa roots can grow much deeper, acidic subsoil remains a production barrier.

Breeding for aluminum toxicity tolerance is thus critical. The new variety developed by Papadopoulos has proved to have higher aluminum tolerance than AC Caribou, a variety common in eastern Canada, when tested under hydroponic conditions.

Small plot trials in the field also indicated it produced well in soil with a pH level of 5.5.

“This particular variety produced above the reference cultivar by a few percentages,” said Papadopoulos, adding he is currently in the process of summarizing the results of his field work.

At the same time, the variety is being tested on a larger scale by twelve livestock farmers across Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island, and in partnership with each province’s forage specialists. Papadopoulos is also in the process of partnering with farmers in Saskatchewan and British Columbia.

“I gave them a bag of seed and told them to grow it as they wish,” he said, meaning he expects the partnering farmers to fit the new variety into their already established production systems.

“I just want them to document certain measurements for me.”

Additional gains documented

Aside from aluminum toxicity tolerance, Papadopoulos has already documented additional benefits from his new alfalfa variety.

In 2024, for example, one of the Atlantic farmers evaluating the variety — a livestock producer in northern Nova Scotia — managed to take two cuts in the crop’s establishment year. The same farmer currently has a crop “above his knees,” and fully expects to take three cuts in 2025.

Papadopoulos considered both years indications the variety is capable of producing very good yields, even in comparatively harsh environments.

“The bottom line is, if I produce a variety that’s good for the Maritimes, I don’t think enough seed will be sold for a company to commercialize it. You need to sell a lot of seed to produce seed to sell,” said Papadopoulos, in reference to efforts to scale production across different regions of the country. However, he also says the fact that enough seed was gathered from an initial four-acre plot to trial the variety across so many farms, indicates it also has excellent seed production capacity.

Additional evaluations of other alfalfa varieties are ongoing as well. This includes drought tolerance, and the vigour of AAC Truman — a variety that spreads via rhizome — in flood conditions.

“Any variety has to stand up on its own,” said Papadopoulos. “The variety development is not only me. The ideas are pennies. Execution of research is the bottom line … This is team power.”

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The southwest led the way at 39 per cent harvest, followed by the southeast at 33 per cent. Further back are the east-central at 16 per cent, the northeast at 13 per cent, the northwest at 12 per cent and the west-central at 10 per cent.

Cereals, oilseeds, pulses

Among the cereals, winter wheat was 85 per cent harvest and fall rye was at 79 per cent. Triticale was next at 34 per cent combined, then barley at 31 per cent, durum at 29 per cent, spring with at 14 per cent, oats at 12 per cent with canaryseed at five per cent.

Soybeans led the oilseeds at 11 per cent combined, followed by mustard at 10 per cent and canola at four per cent.

The pulses saw field peas at 73 per cent done, lentils at 59 per cent and chickpeas at 13 per cent.

Topsoil moisture levels

The Piapot area in southwest Saskatchewan topped the province with the most rain at 25 millimetres.

The ag department said cropland topsoil moisture was at two per cent surplus, 67 per cent adequate, 29 per cent short and two per cent very short.

Hayland topsoil moisture registered at two per cent surplus, 55 per cent adequate, 36 per cent short and seven per cent very short.

As for pasture topsoil moisture, levels were three per cent surplus, 51 per cent adequate, 37 per cent short and nine per cent very short.

The main causes of crop damage during the week were strong winds and dry conditions, with a high risk of fire. Minor damages were caused by grasshoppers and bertha armyworms.

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The report said farmers in the southwest continued to lead combining at 23 per cent done while those in the northeast lag at two per cent.

Winter wheat at 70 per cent harvest and fall rye at 66 per cent remained well ahead of the spring crops. Those were led by field peas at 45 per cent combined, followed by 42 per cent of triticale and 35 per cent of the lentils. Next were barley at 17 per cent off the field and then durum at 13 per cent.

The remainder of Saskatchewan’s crops were in single digits with oats and chickpeas at eight per cent combined. Spring wheat came in at three per cent complete with canola and canaryseed at one per cent.

Following the rains, cropland topsoil moisture levels rated three per cent surplus, 77 per cent adequate, 18 per short and two per cent very short.

For hayland, the topsoil moisture was three per cent surplus, 66 per cent adequate, 27 per cent short and four per cent very short.

The topsoil on pastures were three per cent surplus, 60 per cent adequate, 31 per cent short and six per cent very short.

Saskatchewan Ag said Bertha armyworms caused minor damage to canola, with more as a result of grasshoppers and other wildlife. Strong winds and hail led to damages in the areas they struck, then hot temperatures and a lack of rain in other areas led to crop stress in dry areas.

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