Agriculture Canada sees biggest wheat area in 10 years

Canadian farmers will plant the biggest wheat area in 10 years in 2013 and slightly less canola, the federal Agriculture Department said in its first planting forecast of the year. Attractive prices and a modest shift away from canola and other crops should entice farmers into planting more wheat, according to the forecast for the



North Dakota State University develops farm fuel budget app

Farmers can use a new Farm Fuel Budget cellphone app to plan their farm fuel budget and use for the next year or more. John Nowatzki, North Dakota State University Extension Service agricultural machine systems specialist, developed the Android cellphone app for crop producers to compare projected fuel costs based on alternate crop acreages, tillage

Farmer complains about oil spills

The provincial government is turning a blind eye to southwestern Manitoba oil-drilling companies dumping saltwater and oil in municipal ditches, a Cromer-area farmer says. Carlyle Jorgensen, who farms near Cromer, told the Keystone Agricultural Producers meeting here last week the government is fearful of discouraging oil well development in the province. “From December (2011) until


Heat-damaged canola crop creates supply shortages

Reuters / Supply worries about Canada’s disappointingly small canola harvest this year are compounded by the oilseed’s reduced oil content, crimping profits for crushers and leaving food companies to scramble for other vegetable oils. Expectations were high early in the crop year that a record-large canola crop in Canada would compensate for some of the

Hot, dry weather takes its toll on canola crop

Hot, dry weather took a larger toll on the Canadian canola crop than many industry participants expected. The latest Statistics Canada survey pegs canola production at 13.4 million tonnes, a two-million-tonne drop from its previous forecast and well below the 14.5 million tonnes grown in 2011-12. Although one Winnipeg-based broker said “the number was unexpected



Windstorm sandblasts crops

Winds of up to 100 kilometres an hour toppled granaries, uprooted trees, ripped off shingles and sandblasted crops in south-central Manitoba May 14. In the aftermath, around 400 reseeding claims were submitted to the Manitoba Agricultural Service Corporation’s (MASC) insurance division as of May 18, said David Van Deynze, manager of claim services. “Canola, by



New regulations aimed at preventing well contamination

Wells will need to be protected from flooding as province looks to update half-century-old well water regulations

The provincial government is overhauling Manitoba’s groundwater regulations to better protect aquifers and groundwater. Conservation and Water Stewardship Minister Gord Mackintosh made the announcement last week, the first major review of the legislation in 50 years. “I think Manitobans sometimes don’t recognize that there are well over a quarter-million people in the province who rely