Wheat Profit

This three-episode feature podcast series about winter cereals comes after Sask Wheat officially amalgamated with the Saskatchewan Winter Cereal Development Commission on Aug. 1, 2023.

Sask Wheat took over the research, advocacy, market development, grower relations and communications for winter wheat, fall rye, and winter triticale, which gave us the perfect opportunity to highlight these crops.

In these episodes, Wheat Profit Host and Agronomy Extension Specialist with Sask Wheat, Carmen Prang, will interview experts on each crop to provide producers with everything they need to know. This includes basic agronomy knowledge, advantages and challenges to growing these crops and so much more!

EPISODE TWO:

Carmen's guest for this episode is Senior Research Scientist at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada's (AAFC) Lethbridge Research Centre in Lethbridge, Alta., Dr. Brian Beres! Dr. Beres also serves as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Alberta. Listeners might recognize Dr. Beres from his work on ultra-early seeding which he discussed on a previous Wheat Profit episode, The Research and Agronomics of Ultra-Early Seeding, or from his extensive work in winter wheat agronomy.

Dr. Beres grew up on a farm east of Lethbridge, Alta. before he

Wild oat is among the most serious grassy weeds on the Prairies with losses as high as $500 million annually. As a tool to help farmers manage this issue, the Resistant Wild Oat Action Committee⁠ (RWOAC) was formed in partnership with the Canadian Weed Science Society (CWSS). The goal of RWOAC is to educate and engage farmers to develop and adopt approaches to managing wild oats. Sask Wheat is a proud funding partner of this initiative.

Dr. Breanne Tidemann joins Sask Wheat Agronomy Extension Specialist, Carmen Prang, to discuss wild oat and the RWOAC. Breanne is a research scientist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) in Lacombe, Alta. Her accomplishments include, but are not limited to, a B.Sc. in Biological Sciences, a M.Sc. in Plant Sciences and a Ph.D. in Plant Sciences. These were all completed at the University of Alberta, where her projects focused on weed science and weed management. Breanne started with AAFC in 2016 as a Weed Scientist/Field Agronomist. Breanne is currently focusing her research efforts on integrated weed management, weed biology, harvest weed seed control and managing herbicide resistant weeds. She also conducts research on agronomic decisions for crop production and weed control.

This three-episode feature podcast series about winter cereals comes after Sask Wheat officially amalgamated with the Saskatchewan Winter Cereal Development Commission on Aug. 1, 2023.

Sask Wheat took over the research, advocacy, market development, grower relations and communications for winter wheat, fall rye, and winter triticale, which gave us the perfect opportunity to highlight these crops.

In these episodes, Wheat Profit Host and Agronomy Extension Specialist with Sask Wheat, Carmen Prang, will interview experts on each crop to provide producers with everything they need to know. This includes basic agronomy knowledge, advantages and challenges to growing these crops and so much more!

EPISODE ONE:

For the first episode, join Carmen as she sits down with Greg Stamp to discuss everything about hybrid fall rye agronomy. From picking a variety, to how to manage it throughout the season until harvest, this episode covers it all.

Stamp is the Seed Sales Manager for Stamp Seeds, which is a second generation pedigreed seed farm, seed processor and seed retail located at Enchant, Alta. The farm consists of 5000 acres of irrigation and 2000 acres of dryland, growing 95 per cent of their crops for seed. They grow wheat (HRSW, CPS, SWSW, GP, HWSW, Durum), winter wheat, hybrid rye, malt and feed barley, peas, lentils, faba beans, oats, flax, mustard and seed canola.

We are nearing the end of another harvest season. However, there are still decisions to be made to help set the farm up for success in the following year. In addition to evaluating decisions made throughout the year, we can begin addressing nutrient management, weed risks, insect pressure and more. Join host Carmen Prang as she sits down for another episode of the Wheat Profit podcast with farmer and agronomist Nancy Johns to hear her take on fall considerations.

Alberta Grains, Manitoba Crop Alliance, SaskBarley and Sask Wheat collaborated on a Fall Considerations document which provides producers with tips and helpful information about what decisions may have to be made or issues that need to be addressed in the fall to help set up their farm for success the following year.

A common question in spring is whether to treat seed or not. While seed treatment cannot improve seed quality, it can preserve quality. Preserving seed quality can help with plant establishment. Seed treatments are not a silver bullet when it comes to disease management, however they can be a useful tool when used in combination with other best management practices (BMPs).

Join us as we chat with Derek Flad, MAS with Nutrien Ag Solutions about the pros, cons and best management practices that come with treating seed.

Producers are no strangers to dealing with water. Everything producers do on the farm ties back to moisture availability and utilization, so how can you best manage farm practices to make the most of that moisture? Join us on this episode of the Wheat Profit Podcast as we chat with expert and Research Associate Phillip Harder with the Centre for Hydrology at the University of Saskatchewan. Harder grew up on a farm around Clavet, SK giving him first-hand experience and knowledge of difficulties with moisture on the prairies before entering into hydrology as a profession. This episode is sure to teach you something new, as Harder touches on residue management, stripper headers, snow fences and predictions for 2023.

If you want to find out more about Phillip and hydrology, you can find more information on his Twitter page linked here.

The Practical Guide to Navigating Grain Contracts assists farmers in understanding and negotiating the terms and conditions of their grain contracts. The Guide discusses topics such as delivery terms, grading and dispute resolution, declarations, and contract shortfalls, an issue that many producers dealt with in 2021. The guide also includes sample clauses and tips to help farmers make more informed decisions as contract terms continue to evolve.

Join us as we sit down with Janelle Whitley, Senior Manager of Trade and Marketing Policy with the Canadian Canola Growers Association, to discuss the latest edition of the Practical Guide to Navigating Grain Contracts.

Information sources:

Nutrient management is always top of mind for producers, but nitrogen fertilizer management has been receiving considerably more attention due to fluctuating prices of inputs, more products hitting the market and efforts to reduce emissions, nutrient leaching, and runoff.

As producers finalize their crop plan for the year, many might be wondering if an enhanced efficiency fertilizer product is a fit for their farm.

Enhanced Efficiency Fertilizers include a range of products that optimize nutrient uptake and prevent nutrient loss of volatilization, denitrification, or leaching by controlling the speed of release or altering soil-fertilizer reactions.

Join us as we talk with Associate Professor Richard Farrell from the University of Saskatchewan about the benefits of these products and the best management practices for applying them.

The Fertilizer Use Survey assists in understanding the current state of fertilizer management in Saskatchewan and across Canada. It fills the gap in publicly available data for fertilizer use, management, and the adoption of 4R nutrient stewardship. The survey helps increase 4R awareness while providing unbiased data on fertilizer practices and trends.

Join us as we sit down with Sarah Healy, Market Research Manager with Stratus Ag, and Cassandra Cotton, Vice President at Fertilizer Canada, as we talk about the most recent wheat results of the survey. We will also discuss how this information can be used in various ways including at the farm level, as part of the ongoing fertilizer emission reduction discussion.

This past growing season was the inaugural year for Sask Wheat’s “On Farm Trial” program. Through this program, our goal is to have producer-led farm scale research on wheat-related topics. These results will provide localized data to help producers make decisions on their farms under their conditions and management practices.

This year we evaluated seeding rates in spring wheat. Ideal seeding rates can vary significantly and are dependent on many factors including management, variety, and environment. We wanted to see if we could fine-tune the general seeding rate recommendations to help producers maximize their yield, quality, and economic return.

Join us as we chat with Christiane Catellier, Research Associate with the Indian Head Agricultural Research Foundation (IHARF), as we discuss our trial results, the importance of doing on-farm research, and how to produce meaningful results. Christiane provides some helpful tips for farmers and agronomists running trials on their farms.