Complications from all the wet weather are dominating the inquiries to the Ag Knowledge Centre of the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture. Producers have been asking about nitrogen losses and whether topdressing fertilizer might pay. It’s hard to give a clear cut answer, but cropping specialists are advising producers to scout canola and mustard crops for signs of sulphate deficiency. The symptoms usually appear in patches and include upward cupping of the leaves, yellowing between the veins of the earliest leaves, spindly plants and leaves with reddening or purpling on the underside. The fix is a prompt application of granular ammonium sulphate. More producers than usual are considering the aerial application of herbicides. Because of leaf diseases, producers are asking about mixing in fungicide with their herbicide application. Land rolling of pulses has also been delayed and producers are asking how late they can safely roll without causing yield loss. In some cases, producers are wondering about seeding crops for green feed or late grazing. The Ag Knowledge Centre says that on the forage side, there is growing concern that standing water and high humidity may make it difficult to harvest great-looking hay stands. I’m Kevin Hursh.
DynAgra, an independent Western Canada-based Company, is dedicated to providing growers with the tools to manage the risk and maximize the profitability of their farm business through the continued innovation of agricultural products and services. We are committed to developing and providing growers with the latest in precision agronomics, variable rate technology, soil fertility, crop protection, fertilizers, custom application and financial solutions.
Tags: Ag knowledge Centre, agricultural products, agricultural services, Ammonium Sulphate, Canola, crop protection, custom application, Dynagra, Fertilizer, fertilizers, financial solutions, herbicides, Mustard, nitrogen losses, precision agronomics, Pulses, Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture, soil fertility, sulphate deficiency, topdressing, Variable Rate Technology, wet weather, yield loss
There seems to be a bewildering array of new herbicides on the market, but looks are deceiving. Provincial weed control specialist Clark Brenzil points out that there are only two new active ingredients on the market this year. One of those is Heat from BASF. All the other new product names are just repackaged chemistry – the same product by a different name.
For instance, there are 22 products containing only glyphosate and five others that include glyphosate as an active. Overall, Brenzil says there are 272 product choices, but only 60 active ingredients. If you narrow it down to herbicides for cereals, pulses and oilseeds, there are only 45 active ingredients. Cereals have 30 actives, oilseeds have 16 and pulses have 18. This adds up to more than the 45 total because some of them can be used on more than one crop group.
Brenzil also addresses the rumor that Liberty will be in short supply. Since Liberty is used only on Liberty Link canola and since there are no competing products and since Bayer CropScience knows exactly how much its canola seed has been purchased, the company can manage the supply of Liberty with a great deal of accuracy. No shortages are anticipated.
I’m Kevin Hursh.
DynAgra, an independent Western Canada-based Company, is dedicated to providing growers with the tools to manage the risk and maximize the profitability of their farm business through the continued innovation of agricultural products and services. We are committed to developing and providing growers with the latest in precision agronomics, variable rate technology, soil fertility, crop protection, fertilizers, custom application and financial solutions.
Tags: agricultural products, agricultural services, BASF, Bayer CropScience, cereals, crop protection, custom application, Dynagra, fertilizers, financial solutions, glyphosate, Heat, herbicide, Liberty, Liberty Link canola, oilseeds, precision agronomics, Pulses, soil fertility, Variable Rate Technology
The latest edition of the Pulse Market Report has just been released by Saskatchewan Pulse Growers. I enjoy market analysis and I applaud this effort by Sask. Pulse Growers. However, I get frustrated when market analysts ask more questions than they answer. In this report, producers are advised a couple of times to analyse the markets for peas and lentils and come to their own conclusions about market directions. Isn’t that the job of the market analyst? The market report initiative grew from a realization that Saskatchewan farmers are huge players in the green lentil market, yet we don’t exercise much market discipline. It was believed that regular analysis of the market would enable producers to make better marketing decisions. The report soon expanded to cover the other pulse crops as well. While the concept is sound, market analysts need to stick their neck out and call it like they see it. Simply reciting all the bullish factors and all the bearish factors is of limited value. Give me firm opinions and clear recommendations. No one should expect a market analyst to be right all the time, but it’s reasonable to expect analysis that comes to some sort of conclusions. I’m Kevin Hursh.
www.hursh.ca
Kevin Hursh, PAg, CAC
For more information visit www.dynagra.com
Tags: markets, opinions, Pulses
Cereals suck. There are attractive prices available in oilseed crops and in pulse crops, but cereal grains aren’t keeping pace. In the latest Pool Return Outlook from the Canadian Wheat Board, the PRO has dropped by 38 cents a bushel on wheat, 41 cents a bushel on durum and 15 cents a bushel on malting barley. After deducting average Saskatchewan freight and handling, No. 1 CWRS wheat with 12.5 per cent protein has an expected price of just $5.85 a bushel in the upcoming crop year. That’s 60 cents a bushel below the price expected in this crop year and its $2.55 a bushel below the price in ’07-08. The PRO on number one durum with 12.5 per cent protein has slumped to $6.10 a bushel, less than half the price of two years ago. Two-row designated barley now has a new crop PRO of $3.93 a bushel, down dramatically from the $5.50 pooled price in the current crop year. Another cereal crop – canaryseed – remains at 17 to 18 cents a pound. Feed barley and oats aren’t great either. In the oilseeds, canola isn’t far from $10 a bushel and in the pulse crops, attractive new crop lentil contracts are available. Some producers would like to adopt an ABC policy – Anything But Cereals. I’m Kevin Hursh.
www.hursh.caKevin Hursh, PAg, CAC
Tags: cereals, oilseeds, prices, Pulses
The April 24 seeding intentions report from Statistics Canada is expected to set the tone for prices on a number of crops where Canada is a major player in the world marketplace. In the most recent Pulse Market Report, Brian Clancey of Stat Publishing gives his opinion on what lentil and field pea acreages to watch for. Clancey says if lentil acres in the seeding intentions report are over 2.1 million, it will be bearish for prices. On the other hand, if the acres are under 1.9 million, it will be bullish and there will be pressure for new crop prices to rise. New crop contracts are now available for both red and green lentils with prices in the 23 to 25 cent a pound range. While lentils stocks are currently tight and prices are high, the opposite is true with field peas. We seeded nearly 4 million acres of peas last year and a record carryover is expected at the end of the current crop year. Clancey says this year’s plantings would have to drop below 3.1 million acres before the new crop price outlook would improve. He says if field pea seeding intentions are above 3.5 million acres, markets will believe prices need to drop to attract livestock feed demand. I’m Kevin Hursh.
www.hursh.ca
Kevin Hursh, PAg, CAC
Tags: crop price outlook, lentils, peas, Pulses
