Prairies Featured Articles

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!

When Biology Meets Chemistry

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.

Beware Early Grazing of Stressed Plants

‘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.

Farm Payroll Practices

‘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.

Avoiding Scammers

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.

Cross-Canada Weather Outlook

El Niño upsetting growers’ plans across the country

By Richard Kamchen

El Niño’s threat of below-normal precipitation is of particular concern for farmers in already dry Prairie regions, but far less so to crop growers in Ontario.

Going into December, 97 per cent of the Canadian Prairies were abnormally dry or in moderate to exceptional drought, according to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Drought Monitor.

More heifers to feedlots stalls cattle rebuild

By Richard Kamchen

Beef producers have chosen cashing-in over rebuilding their herds in the wake of record cattle prices in 2023.

“There are no signs of herd expansion, and the cow herd continues to shrink,” says Brian Perillat, agribusiness specialist at More Than Just Feed.

Persistent drought remains a big concern, as do potential feed and water shortages in 2024, and high prices made the decision to sell an easier one, he says.

Business management: still room to improve

Is farming more of a lifestyle for you?

By Richard Kamchen

Despite a growing need for a more business-oriented approach to farming, few producers are adopting the tools they’ll need to ride out challenging times.

Being your own boss, working outside in nature and alongside family, and producing food for the world have all come under the umbrella of “farm lifestyle,” a lifestyle that’s lured many to farming and kept them going for generations. But lifestyle alone isn’t enough to sustain a business.

GOT MILK?

Your crop & your soils could benefit from more calcium

By Stacy Berry

Calcium is an essential nutrient that has been slowly depleting from Canadian soils over the years, and it’s possible that your farm is starting to feel the lack.

What is calcium? According to Morgan Duggan, the head agronomist with Norstar Agriculture in Edmonton, Alta., “calcium is a lot of things, but overall, it’s a macronutrient that is required to grow a crop.”

Forage Questions & Answers

These top tips can help improve your stand.

By Patrick Lynch

I work with farmers and seed companies that sell forage seed across the country. The following questions come from farmers in the Prairies as well as Eastern Canada. Some questions are the same in every province. Others are very specific to certain areas.

Here is one of the best and most often asked questions.

Question: I sold seed to a farmer and he thinks there were weed seeds in it. What can I do?

Carbon Offset Programs

Do carbon credits have a future on prairie farms?

By Emily Croft

Carbon sequestration has become a common topic in agriculture, both in terms of environmental responsibility and as a proposed new opportunity for farmers to bolster their income. These additional profits would come from carbon credit or carbon offset programs.

As financial programs attached to carbon production and sequestration are discussed, there are still many questions from producers about which practices are eligible, how they are regulated, and how the value is determined.