On July 22 of last year, Western Crop Innovations (WCI) held its inaugural field day at its farm facility near Lacombe. Overcast but bright, drizzle was the order of the day, and guests were dressed appropriately in multicoloured rubber boots and raincoats. Curious about the organization, which launched April 1, 2024, this event drew about 150 farmers and assorted ag industry representatives. As chair and area farmer Kevin Bender welcomed the assembled guests in the shelter of the farm’s spacious service garage, the event felt like a birthday celebration, albeit a damp one.

A newer, faster and more accurate approach may detect morphological changes associated with DON contamination in Fusarium-damaged wheat kernels. New research from the Crop Development Centre at the University of Saskatchewan indicates existing test methods can be improved.

The federal government knows it is impeding the significant growth of one of the foundational pieces of this country’s economy—its own Advisory Council on Economic Growth said so nine years ago.

In early February, the federal Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) rejected an emergency use application submitted by the Alberta and Saskatchewan governments to make strychnine available for use against gophers.