On the Prairies, leaf spot complex is a significant yield robber in wheat and barley. A group of stubble-borne diseases, leaf spot complex is practically ubiquitous in Alberta cereals. Its presence can lead to downgrading, especially in bread wheats and durum. Ongoing studies aim to better understand causes and develop treatments.

Fertilizer always has been and always will be vital to agriculture. However, this primary crop input has come under fire in recent years, most notably for its carbon footprint. The federal government took aim at fertilizer and its emissions, challenging industry to be more sustainable top to bottom. Price variability and unsteady availability of supply are also problematic.

For many years now, malting barley research has primarily focused on how to provide small and large brewers alike with the next great variety for their beers. An afterthought, however, is distillers, who often source their barley from other countries with a more established system of malting barley suitable for spirits.

Most farmers don’t conduct regular new variety trials on their own farms. Typically, farmers take a longterm approach. When the performance of a trusted variety sags, they may consult the Alberta Seed Guide and plant a few dozen acres, or even an entire field, of a newer variety listed within its pages.

An assessment it conducted in 2024 estimated invasive species cost Alberta an enormous $2.1 billion annually. The tally was based on an economic assessment completed 20 years prior and adjusted for inflation along with the increased abundance and diversity of invasive species in Alberta.

University of Saskatchewan master’s student Beatriz Montenegro is searching for economical feed options for cattle that are heavy on nutrition and low on water. Supported by the Government of Saskatchewan’s Agricultural Development Fund, her research aims to help farmers maintain high-quality beef production as feed availability fluctuates.

Hard work by durum breeder Yuefeng Ruan at the Swift Current Research and Development Centre has paid off. New variety AAC Frontier has a Resistant rating to ergot, leaf, stripe and stem rust as well as an intermediate rating for Fusarium head blight, the highest yet. Its FHB resistance is like that of AAC Schrader.

A gap has formed in agronomic research for barley, says a prominent industry voice. Pondering the problem, SaskBarley research extension manager Mitchell Japp recalled a Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture program, which established a five-year organic farming chair position to address that area’s own gap.

David Farran believes it is only natural Alberta distillers use the province’s own high-quality barley to produce their products. The founder and president of Eau Claire Distillery in Diamond Valley, he credits locally grown barley and a talented distilling team for a platinum trophy win at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition in April.

If you like to read soil moisture maps in bed (and who doesn’t?), the latest of these may keep you up at night. Recent Government of Alberta precipitation and accumulated moisture maps picture zones of potential trouble. While they aren’t cause for panic, some spots warrant a closer look.