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Agricultural research a high-return investmentMarch 28, 2005: Is agricultural research a good investment? Not only is it good, it's a very high return investment, says southern Alberta farmer Brian Otto. Otto is a director of Western Grains Research Foundation, a past chairman and founding member of the Alberta Winter Wheat Producers Commission, a director of the Alberta Barley Commission and a director of the Alberta Safflower Growers Association. He points to published reports showing the payback from crop research ranges from 12:1 to 34:1 for barley, wheat and oilseeds. "That's anywhere from a $12 to $34 return to the economy for every dollar invested," he says. "Few people could argue with that." Otto has been involved with on-farm research, demonstration and variety evaluation projects over the past 30 years. More of his farmer perspective on research is available in Western Grains Research Magazine Narrower row spacing still key to utilizing seed bedMarch 28, 2005: Disk drill seeding systems should generally be used at a narrower spacing, even with seed spreaders, says an AgTech Centre engineer. "In our trials, there was still a 10 to 20 percent yield difference between eight-inch and 12-inch row spacings," says Lawrence Papworth. "This suggests that even with seed spreaders, not enough of the seedbed is being utilized at the widest row spacing." While more field research is needed, Papworth says a mid-point setting that involves nine or 10 inch row spacing and a three-inch seed spreader might provide yield comparable with narrower row spacing. More information. New wheats look good for northern productionMarch 28, 2005: Two new wheats recommended for registration boast key characteristics for producers in the Peace River Region and Parkland Region. The line PT211 is a Canada Western Red Spring (CWRS) wheat that features high grain yield combined with reduced FHB susceptibility and early maturity. In the Peace and Parkland regions, it respectively yielded 14.8 percent and 8.4 percent higher than AC Splendor. The line PT425 is a very early maturing CWRS wheat, emerging half a day earlier than AC Splendor. It features good leaf rust and loose smut resistance, along with mproved grade protection compared to top varieties grown in the Peace and Parkland Regions. Both varieties were developed by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and recommended for registration at the recent Prairie Registration Recommending Committee for Grain (PRRCG) annual meeting in Winnipeg. View a complete list of the latest recommended wheat varieties. Reprintable with permission. Reproduction of this article - in whole or in part, in print or electronic - requires direct permission from Meristem Information Resources, Ltd. Contact Meristem directly to request reprint permission. |
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Livestock industry tackles new era in animal welfare 