4 Our Advertisers Appreciate Your Business Better Farming | April 2024 1-888-248-4893 PUBLISHER & EDITORIAL DIRECTOR PAUL NOLAN ext 202 Paul.Nolan@Farms.com ASSISTANT TO THE PUBLISHER & EDITORIAL DIRECTOR LESLIE STEWART ext 265 Leslie.Stewart@Farms.com AGRICULTURAL JOURNALIST EMILY CROFT PRAIRIE CONTRIBUTORS DENA BURNETT ASHLEY KAMINSKI Saskatoon, Sask. Humboldt, Sask. RICHARD KAMCHEN RON SETTLER Winnipeg, Man. Lucky Lake, Sask. ADELINE PANAMAROFF Edmonton, Alta. NATIONAL CONTRIBUTORS MOE AGOSTINO DIEGO FLAMMINI ABHINESH GOPAL EUGENIE OFFICER ADVERTISING TEAM GLENN RUEGG JEFF McKEE JENNY LONGSTREET SCOTT FARHOOD SAMANTHA RENAUD JOAN SPIEGELBERG ANDREW BAWDEN DESIGN & PRODUCTION TEAM TANYA MYERS GREG MARLOW SHAUN CLARK ANDREA WILLIAMS www.BetterFarming.com Better Farming Magazine, Prairie Edition is mailed to producers in Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan. Next issue: May 2024. 1-888-248-4893 ext 281 Subscriptions@BetterFarming.com ISSN 2563-9803 (Printed) Copyright ©2024 by AgMedia Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction of any content without written permission of the publisher is forbidden. Acceptance of advertising does not constitute endorsement of the advertiser, its products or services, nor do Better Farming, AgMedia or Farms.com endorse any advertiser claims. The publisher shall have no liability for the omission of any scheduled advertising. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to 90 Woodlawn Road West, Guelph, ON N1H 1B2 Mail agreement #0042518524 We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada. Cover: Heath Fairley photo, Ryan Ridley photo Follow us on @PrairieFarming INSIGHT FROM THE INSIDE INSIGHT FROM THE INSIDE INSIGHT FROM THE INSIDE INSIGHT FROM THE INSIDE INSIGHT FROM THE INSIDE INSIGHT FROM THE INSIDE “Using proven products that provide the nutrients the crops need and reduce losses is key to making the most of these applications.” - Bryce Geisel, Page 15 “I took over the ranch in ’86. At that time, the ranch was at about 30 animal days per acre. After using the planned grazing strategy, we are getting up to 90 to 120 animal days per acre.” - John Cross, Page 20 “I would love for us to get the little century farm sign at the end of the laneway. That would be a goal – for our family-owned operation to get to the 100-year mark. Grandpa bought the home quarter in 1931 so we are getting there.” - Heath Fairley, Page 30 “Take the extra time this spring to consider anything you can do to reduce possible seeding errors by preparing your seeding equipment and knowing what could cause issues.” - Ashley Kaminski, Page 41 LETTER FROM THE EDITOR RECORD INCOME; SOIL NUTRIENTS Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada has completed its farm income forecast for 2023 and 2024, with results showing that overall Canadian farm income reached a new record in 2023. The largest driver of this increase is a forecasted increase in livestock receipts of almost 10 per cent, to $37.3 billion. Cattle receipts saw impressive price-driven growth that, combined with moderate growth in receipts from the supply-managed sector, more than offset an expected decline in hog receipts. Crop receipts are also forecast to have grown four per cent to $56.0 billion, as improved grain marketings have largely mitigated the impact of declining prices. According to a recent AAFC release, “the agriculture sector continued to show very strong overall economic performance in 2023, despite numerous challenges, including droughts in western Canada and other extreme weather events, Russia’s continuing war on Ukraine, and other global conflicts.” One of our feature articles this month (Page 14) looks at how last year’s drought conditions could provide higher residual nutrients in 2024. 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. “Fall soil samples are an important step in helping farmers and agronomists get an idea of end-of-season nutrient levels to help with winter planning. However, depending on the length of fall and winter conditions, these numbers can change by spring,” explains agronomist Bryce Geisel. So spring soil testing might be a good idea. Saskatchewan ag just posted a fourth consecutive year of record agri-food exports, with shipments totaling $20.2 billion for 2023. The leading agri-food export commodities were non-durum wheat, canola seed, canola oil, durum, lentils and canola meal. The top five international market destinations were the U.S., China, Japan, Mexico and Algeria.
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