From DTN;
"PRAIRIE MARKET PROBE 9/02
FROST NOT EXPECTED TO BE MAJOR CONCERN FOR PRAIRIE GROWERS
Despite snowfall around Calgary and some localized frost in parts
of Alberta and Saskatchewan last week, forecasters are suggesting that
frost damage should not be a prevalent issue for grain and oilseed
producers this harvest season, reports the Western Producer.
The mercury dipped as low as -2 C in some parts of Alberta's Peace
River region early Aug. 22. It is unclear how much damage occurred but
late emerging crops may have been touched in some areas, said crop
specialists at Alberta's Ag Info Centre.
Temperatures also dipped to -2 C in parts of western and
southwestern Saskatchewan but it is unclear how much damage was caused
to crops in those areas.
Frost was also reported around Lacombe and in some parts of
northeastern Alberta but damage was reported as light in most areas
and impact on crops is believed to be minimal.
Looking to the longer range forecast, Brett Anderson, senior
meteorologist with AccuWeather, anticipates a temperate autumn because
of a "warm blob" of water in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of
British Columbia.
That is leading to a high pressure system along the West Coast,
which will deflect Pacific storms north into the Yukon and Alaska,
rather than allowing them to track west across the Prairies.
The result is a warmer and drier fall for at least the western half
of the Prairies.
Daytime temperatures will be above normal, but it may become cool
at night because of the low humidity levels.
"I do think our first frost freeze will be on schedule across much
of the region this fall despite the warmer-than-normal pattern," said
Anderson.
Andrew Owen, meteorologist with World Weather Inc., also believes
farmers can put aside concerns of an early fall frost.
"For most of them, it's going to be near normal dates," he said.
PERENNIAL GRAIN CROPS ON THE WAY
Seed it once, then sell everything except the combine and just keep
harvesting year after year.
It might not work out quite that way, but a perennial grain crop
that can withstand cold Prairie winters is a little closer to reality
for Canadian farmers, according to an Alberta Wheat Commission
article.
University of Manitoba perennial crop breeder Doug Cattani has been
at work since 2010 at the Ian N. Morrison Research Farm here,
overseeing plots of intermediate wheatgrass, wild sunflowers,
perennial cereal ryegrass, and an assortment of other native plants.
He says intermediate wheatgrass is now showing the most promise for
earliest commercial availability.
All the crops Cattani is studying share the common trait of being
perennial relatives of key food crops. But as he's made his crosses
and selections these past four years, it's become clear some are worth
pursuing and some not. For example, the program for perennial cereal
ryegrass is basically on the shelf now. The disease problems they
discovered are more than their time and resources can accommodate.
"The wide cross that we made to generate the materials led to
excessive ergot," Cattani said. "It became something that would
require a lot more work than we are currently able to put in."
On the other hand, his now completed selections of intermediate
wheatgrass material not only have shown they can survive three
successive Prairie winters, but produce consistent grain yields.
CANARY MARKET UNDERCUT BY WEAK DEMAND
Weak international demand means Prairie canaryseed prices likely
have nowhere to go but down, according to an industry official,
reports Syngenta Farm.
"Demand is terrible," said David Nobbs, general manager at Canpulse
Foods, and chair of the Canaryseed Development Commission of
Saskatchewan.
Europe has been buying, "next to nothing," and Mexico - its buying
power reduced by a weak peso - is sitting on the sidelines awaiting
lower prices, Nobbs added.
"The currency issues have scared a lot of buyers and that's an
issue."
Canaryseed prices hit their highs in the summer and are now mainly
holding steady in the 28 to 30 cent/lb range.
In addition to weak demand, Nobbs said the canaryseed market has
been undermined by talk ahead of harvest that conditions have improved
from early July. Crops in west-central and southeastern Saskatchewan
remain relatively poor, however, as dry conditions in the province
have reduced yield prospects.
One of the last crops to be harvested on the Prairies, new-crop
canaryseed should start hitting the market in mid-September, Nobbs
said.
NUTRIENT RECYCLING CONSIDERED CRITICAL
Nick Savidov doesn't mince words when he talks about relying solely
on synthetic fertilizer to feed the planet, reports the Alberta Farmer
Express.
"The fact is that if we don't learn how to recycle nutrients and
water, we are doomed," said the senior research scientist at the Bio-
industrial Opportunities Branch of Alberta Agriculture and Forestry.
"We will start dying off from hunger. This is just one approach to
prolong our existence on this planet."
Savidov is part of a team using a device called a bioreactor to
extract nutrients from waste streams like animal manure. Described as
'liquid composting,' the bioreactor uses micro-organisms in an oxygen-
rich environment to mineralize and dissolve the nutrients in a liquid
solution. The nutrients can then be reused as plant food.
Recycling nutrients is critical because synthetic fertilizer
sources are non-renewable, said Savidov. For example, 85 per cent of
all phosphorus rock reserves on the planet are located in just one
region (Morocco and the Western Sahara) while nitrogen synthetic
fertilizers can only be produced using fossil fuels.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Prairie Market Probe is written by David Gliddon
at DePutter Publishing Ltd.
Phone (519) 433-0133 or e-mail info@dwgconsulting.ca
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"
"PRAIRIE MARKET PROBE 9/02
FROST NOT EXPECTED TO BE MAJOR CONCERN FOR PRAIRIE GROWERS
Despite snowfall around Calgary and some localized frost in parts
of Alberta and Saskatchewan last week, forecasters are suggesting that
frost damage should not be a prevalent issue for grain and oilseed
producers this harvest season, reports the Western Producer.
The mercury dipped as low as -2 C in some parts of Alberta's Peace
River region early Aug. 22. It is unclear how much damage occurred but
late emerging crops may have been touched in some areas, said crop
specialists at Alberta's Ag Info Centre.
Temperatures also dipped to -2 C in parts of western and
southwestern Saskatchewan but it is unclear how much damage was caused
to crops in those areas.
Frost was also reported around Lacombe and in some parts of
northeastern Alberta but damage was reported as light in most areas
and impact on crops is believed to be minimal.
Looking to the longer range forecast, Brett Anderson, senior
meteorologist with AccuWeather, anticipates a temperate autumn because
of a "warm blob" of water in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of
British Columbia.
That is leading to a high pressure system along the West Coast,
which will deflect Pacific storms north into the Yukon and Alaska,
rather than allowing them to track west across the Prairies.
The result is a warmer and drier fall for at least the western half
of the Prairies.
Daytime temperatures will be above normal, but it may become cool
at night because of the low humidity levels.
"I do think our first frost freeze will be on schedule across much
of the region this fall despite the warmer-than-normal pattern," said
Anderson.
Andrew Owen, meteorologist with World Weather Inc., also believes
farmers can put aside concerns of an early fall frost.
"For most of them, it's going to be near normal dates," he said.
PERENNIAL GRAIN CROPS ON THE WAY
Seed it once, then sell everything except the combine and just keep
harvesting year after year.
It might not work out quite that way, but a perennial grain crop
that can withstand cold Prairie winters is a little closer to reality
for Canadian farmers, according to an Alberta Wheat Commission
article.
University of Manitoba perennial crop breeder Doug Cattani has been
at work since 2010 at the Ian N. Morrison Research Farm here,
overseeing plots of intermediate wheatgrass, wild sunflowers,
perennial cereal ryegrass, and an assortment of other native plants.
He says intermediate wheatgrass is now showing the most promise for
earliest commercial availability.
All the crops Cattani is studying share the common trait of being
perennial relatives of key food crops. But as he's made his crosses
and selections these past four years, it's become clear some are worth
pursuing and some not. For example, the program for perennial cereal
ryegrass is basically on the shelf now. The disease problems they
discovered are more than their time and resources can accommodate.
"The wide cross that we made to generate the materials led to
excessive ergot," Cattani said. "It became something that would
require a lot more work than we are currently able to put in."
On the other hand, his now completed selections of intermediate
wheatgrass material not only have shown they can survive three
successive Prairie winters, but produce consistent grain yields.
CANARY MARKET UNDERCUT BY WEAK DEMAND
Weak international demand means Prairie canaryseed prices likely
have nowhere to go but down, according to an industry official,
reports Syngenta Farm.
"Demand is terrible," said David Nobbs, general manager at Canpulse
Foods, and chair of the Canaryseed Development Commission of
Saskatchewan.
Europe has been buying, "next to nothing," and Mexico - its buying
power reduced by a weak peso - is sitting on the sidelines awaiting
lower prices, Nobbs added.
"The currency issues have scared a lot of buyers and that's an
issue."
Canaryseed prices hit their highs in the summer and are now mainly
holding steady in the 28 to 30 cent/lb range.
In addition to weak demand, Nobbs said the canaryseed market has
been undermined by talk ahead of harvest that conditions have improved
from early July. Crops in west-central and southeastern Saskatchewan
remain relatively poor, however, as dry conditions in the province
have reduced yield prospects.
One of the last crops to be harvested on the Prairies, new-crop
canaryseed should start hitting the market in mid-September, Nobbs
said.
NUTRIENT RECYCLING CONSIDERED CRITICAL
Nick Savidov doesn't mince words when he talks about relying solely
on synthetic fertilizer to feed the planet, reports the Alberta Farmer
Express.
"The fact is that if we don't learn how to recycle nutrients and
water, we are doomed," said the senior research scientist at the Bio-
industrial Opportunities Branch of Alberta Agriculture and Forestry.
"We will start dying off from hunger. This is just one approach to
prolong our existence on this planet."
Savidov is part of a team using a device called a bioreactor to
extract nutrients from waste streams like animal manure. Described as
'liquid composting,' the bioreactor uses micro-organisms in an oxygen-
rich environment to mineralize and dissolve the nutrients in a liquid
solution. The nutrients can then be reused as plant food.
Recycling nutrients is critical because synthetic fertilizer
sources are non-renewable, said Savidov. For example, 85 per cent of
all phosphorus rock reserves on the planet are located in just one
region (Morocco and the Western Sahara) while nitrogen synthetic
fertilizers can only be produced using fossil fuels.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Prairie Market Probe is written by David Gliddon
at DePutter Publishing Ltd.
Phone (519) 433-0133 or e-mail info@dwgconsulting.ca
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"
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