Better Farming publishes nine editions of its Prairies magazine each year. After publishing each edition, we share a feature article online. Each Better Farming Prairies magazine includes much more content – you won’t want to miss it. If you don’t receive the print edition of Better Farming Prairies, but you enjoy reading the articles below, be sure to subscribe to the magazine!
Prairie farmland remains valuable despite other economic hardships.
By Leslie Stewart
During 2023, many farmers encountered a variety of economic hardships: Drought in Western Canada created pressure on commodity prices, input costs were high, and so were interest rates.
But through it all, farmland values remained resilient across Canada.
A recent report from Farm Credit Canada (FCC) indicates that farmland values continued to rise to an average increase of 11.5 per cent across the country in 2023.
Post-registration assessment of FHB in cereals improves variety selection.
By Emily Croft
Fusarium head blight (FHB) is a fungal disease that affects cereal crops across the Prairies, risking crop damage, lower yields, and reduced quality. The Manitoba Crop Variety Evaluation Team (MCVET) and Manitoba Crop Alliance are working to improve the data available to farmers for selection of FHB-resistant varieties through post-registration analysis.
Exploring AI use on-farm.
By Dale Cowan
It seems everywhere we turn someone is talking about artificial intelligence (AI) and all its various applications. In agriculture, huge investments are being made in AI platforms ranging from equipment companies to crop inputs.
Last year’s dryness could provide higher residual nutrients in 2024.
By Richard Kamchen
Parched Prairie conditions last year may boost available soil nutrients for the 2024 growing season.
In many cases, crops with yields hindered by extreme dryness removed fewer nutrients from the soils they grew in, potentially leaving higher levels of nutrients available in the following year.
‘The best management systems for soil carbon are the ones that we don’t touch.’
By Emily Croft
Farmers are sometimes criticized in environmental sustainability conversations, but soil carbon sequestration is one opportunity to turn that around.
Carbon sequestration is the removal of carbon, in the form of carbon dioxide, from the atmosphere, where it will then be stored in another form, often in soil or plants.
Cleaning Agricultural Water Naturally
By Adeline Panamaroff
Floating islands, metal-framed rafts stuffed with water-loving plants, strung across sloughs and storm ponds, are all part of the research that Olds College in Alberta is doing to clean water runoff from commercial feedlots.
How effective are these human-made islands? What maintenance do they require?
Biological amendments – or simply biologicals – are relatively new to the conventional row crop world and can be a great way for farmers to better utilize nutrition already present in their environment.
However, most people who have been farming for a while “probably didn’t learn about biologicals in university or college, so the familiarity isn’t there to make (biologicals) top of mind in your regular crop plans,” says Brady Code, the Biologicals technical lead with Syngenta Canada.
‘You have to get down on your hands and knees and assess the actual grass plants.’
By Richard Kamchen
Prairie beef farmers beset by drought conditions in 2023 ought to be cautious about letting their cattle graze too soon this spring.
“The rule of thumb generally is if it’s one day too early, it sets you back three days in the fall,” says Pamela Iwanchysko, a livestock and forage extension specialist with Manitoba Agriculture.
‘Do Your Best & Hire the Rest.’
By Richard Kamchen
How farm workers get compensated has become more formalized and organized, and both employees and employers are seeing the benefits.
Levi Derksen, senior manager with Saskatoon-based accounting firm Buckberger Baerg & Partners, says that payrolls have become more common as farm sizes have increased – as has their need for full-time workers.
“The trend started as farms grew, with more work being done by non-family members,” he says.
Education is the best way to keep your farm business safe.
By Emily Croft
Farms, like every other business, are at risk of being targeted by scammers.
The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC) stated that losses from reported frauds increased from $165 million in 2020 to $379 million in 2021. These numbers don’t include losses from the many instances of fraud which weren’t reported.
