Ag News

The Western Canadian Agribition began ticket sales this week, as the 51st annual event is coming up later this year. 

That'll be beginning on Monday, November 28, with the opening ceremonies being held at 10. That'll last all week until the closing date December 3.

A strong year is expected following the troubles that have plagued events over the past two years, with sales since Monday indicating there's plenty of interest.

Shaun Kindopp is the new CEO of the Western Canadian Agribition, having been named to the position back in July.

Warm, dry weather has helped crops in southeast Saskatchewan ripen more rapidly this past week, according to the latest crop report. 

Producers in the region have been getting into their fields to combine or swath as the weather made for good harvesting conditions. Harvest progress sits at six percent, which is well behind the five-year average of 20 percent.  

Saskatchewan is dealing with an influx of grasshoppers as the calendar shifts to late August.

That could be unwelcome news for farmers, as grasshoppers have been known to eat crops and other plants.

"Their numbers are very very high this year," said Cory Sheffield, a curator of invertebrate zoology at the Royal Saskatchewan Museum. "It's high numbers of grasshoppers that eat crops and eat plants and are defoliators. It could be bad news."

Weekly Provincial Summary

Harvest has started in winter wheat and fall rye, with a good portion of those crops already combined. Reported yields are average for both crops, falling numbers are good in rye crops harvested prior to heavy rains last week, and no results yet on crop yet to be combined.

Manitoba Agriculture is wrapping up a major weed survey.

Crops being surveyed include wheat, canola, soybeans, field corn, barley and oats. Extra fields being looked at include pinto beans, field peas, and sunflowers.

Kim Brown-Livingston is the province's weed specialist.

An agronomy extension specialist with the Manitoba Crop Alliance is optimistic about this year's corn crop.

Saskatchewan’s Ministry of Agriculture is warning producers to be on the lookout for signs of Anthrax, an infectious disease that can wreak havoc among farm animals.

Confirmed cases caused the deaths of nine ruminant animals in the southwestern RM of Piapot, which is around 70 KM east of the Albertan border.

Anthrax is caused by bacteria that can survive for decades in soil, with any changes in soil moisture potentially leading to spores building up in pasture areas.

The Saskatchewan Agricultural Hall of Fame is celebrating its 50th year as it's inducting another class into its ranks.

Nominations came in plentifully for a lot of producers and people who support them, but in the end, six were selected:

Livestock producers are enjoying a much better year in terms of hay production.

Manitoba's soybean crop continues to impress.

"Most of the beans are right now in that R5 to R6 growth stage," said Dennis Lange, pulse specialist with Manitoba Agriculture. "Some of the really late planted fields are just past R4. For the most part the crops look pretty good. We've had some good rainfall in the area and they are doing quite well this year. A lot better than what we have seen in the past. Some years we've started to see the crop dry down already by now because of lack of moisture but this year the potential looks really good."