Insights and Stories on Crops

High-disturbance seeding can be as erosive as a plow

Feb. 12, 2016 at 10:05 am CST

The era of black summerfallow is over, and direct seeding and zero tillage have pretty much solved problems of soil erosion on the Prairies. Or so goes conventional wisdom. Not so, says David Lobb, a professor in the University of Manitoba’s department of soil science and senior research chair for […]

Fertilizer prices, now and into spring

Feb. 5, 2016 at 10:16 am CST

By Dilia Narduzzi

Spraying crops later is your best bet

Jan. 22, 2016 at 9:27 am CST

By Jennifer Blair

Raised on the radio

Dec. 31, 2015 at 9:50 am CST

By Sarah Weigum

The new way into farming

Dec. 4, 2015 at 10:32 am CST

By Maggie Van Camp

Back to the future for grain price outlooks

Nov. 20, 2015 at 3:24 pm CST

If there were any lingering doubts over whether the grain price party is over, a few hours at this year’s Cereals North America conference last week firmly laid them to rest. Speaker after speaker set the scene for a melancholy outlook. Stocks are at or near record levels for many […]

By Gord Gilmour

Building a 137 bushel CPS crop

Nov. 13, 2015 at 9:15 am CST

Achieving a 137 bushel per acre yield on CPS wheat in a relatively dry year is certainly noteworthy, but Fred Wood, an Alberta consulting agronomist says the real story is about the benefits of having a complete agronomy program. Varieties are important to some extent, says Wood who owns Meridian […]

By Lee Hart

The giant pumpkin growers of Manitoba

Oct. 30, 2015 at 9:02 am CDT

Roland, Manitoba is one of three Western Canadian sites hosting a Great Pumpkin Commonwealth Weigh off since 1995. In early October, growers bring gigantic homegrown pumpkins for judging in hopes of earning cash prizes and bragging rights with a new record-breaking weight pumpkin. It’s no small undertaking, says Art Cameron, Roland grower and […]

By Lorraine Stevenson

Food farms are a hit

Oct. 23, 2015 at 10:16 am CDT

What kid doesn’t know about tasty burgers, fries and pizza? But how many know that it all starts on somebody’s farm? Too few, sadly. Two years ago some folks in Yorkton, Sask., did something to bridge this gap by laying out their first pizza farm. It’s a fun place, where […]

By Debbie Furber

Managing risk basis: Demystifying the variables

Sep. 25, 2015 at 10:43 am CDT

Many farmers have a reasonably good handle on canola basis. When it comes to wheat basis, though, most producers are finding a very complex beast. That’s the clear-cut message from two of Manitoba’s leading commodity experts when asked for insight for producers managing basis risk. “Farmers understand canola,” said Mike […]

By Duncan Morrison