Western Canada Archives - Parrish and Heimbecker, Limited

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Consider marketing old and new crop now

June 19, 2023 | Uncategorized

Take advantage of higher old-crop prices before they turn and think about pricing new crop to help with cashflow

There’s a point when old crop price drops. It’s usually in late June or early July. Don’t get caught with grain still in your bin when that happens.

Remember economics 101? Markets operate under the law of supply and demand. There’s a moment every spring or early summer when end users suddenly decide they have enough grain to get them through the rest of the year until new crop gets harvested. Demand drops. Price follows.

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Take the fear out of these wheat weather markets

April 28, 2023 | Eastern Canada

GPOs and other tools can protect your returns, even in a volatile market

As is often the case this time of year, we’re in a weather market for wheat. It seems every morning there’s a new announcement somewhere in the world that causes markets to move.

That’s often the case in the spring when seeding is happening across North America. There’s a lot of energy in the market. News makes it sound like it’s too hot, too cold, too wet, or too dry. We’re in a weather market now.

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Protect your investment with the 5R weed control strategy

March 6, 2023 | Western Canada

Maximize your crop’s success by implementing a 5R strategy: The right rotation, the right time, the right herbicide, the right rate and the right resource

Weed strategies need to be adjusted every year based on where your farm is located and what environmental impacts have affected weed growth.

Canada’s resistant weeds continue to grow. For example, Kochia is now resistant to Group 2, Group 4, Group 9, and/or Group 14 herbicides. Group 14 is a newly added group of kochia resistance discovered in a Saskatchewan case, and added resistance brings a change to the 3R weed control strategy.

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Use Grain Pricing Options to capture strong commodity prices

April 7, 2022 | Western Canada

As if you didn’t have enough on your mind, there is never-before-seen volatility in grain markets to add to your reason to lie awake, staring at the ceiling.

In our hyper, 24-hour news cycle, any small hiccup can cause a blip in the market. Relying on your own wits to capture those momentarily spikes won’t work, especially when prices spike in overnight markets only to settle back down by the time you sip your morning coffee and pull out your phone to check. (more…)

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Target critical weed-free period to maximize yield

April 5, 2022 | Eastern Canada

Keep a crop weed free during a critical period early in its development and you’ll maintain it’s yield potential. Let weeds sneak in, even though the plants are young and small, and you’ll flush away yield before you’re even out of the gate.

Plants don’t like to be crowded. Put an object close to a plant and it will change the way it grows to compensate for the pressure. (more…)

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YaraVita PROCOTE: Better flow, higher yield

March 4, 2022 | Western Canada

You know your crop needs micronutrients. You can see it with your own eyes when there’s a deficiency – a stunted crop, dead plant tissue or yellowing of leaves due to reduced production of chlorophyll. Low levels of zinc, boron or other micronutrients cost you yield and in plant health.

The problem is, no one likes blending micronutrients, especially as you watch your investment float away in big clouds of dust. It’s heavy, dirty work. And then when you get out into the field, everything stops as you try and release a giant clump of sticky fertilizer stuck in the air tank.

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Early season insect management for canola

February 1, 2022 | Western Canada

The effect of drought conditions in 2021 could haunt us into 2022.  

Take flea beetles. There’s the potential for higher insect pressure due to the dry weather in 2021. This year you should definitely consider using a seed treatment. It’s one way to protect your canola against pests like flea beetles.  (more…)

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Lock your doors against kochia, palmer amaranth, water hemp

February 1, 2022 | Western Canada

Lock your doors. Three nasty weeds resistant to multiple herbicide groups are spreading across Western Canada.

Weed resistance isn’t new to Western Canada. But more recently, weeds resistant to multiple groups are showing up.

In the spring of 2021 in Western Canada, wild oats, kochia and green foxtail were commonly found to be resistant to several herbicide groups.

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Winter planning for nutrient management critical in 2022

January 7, 2022 | Eastern Canada

This is not the year to do nutrient management on the fly or to rely on stale, out-of-date soil sampling data to drive your fertilizer decisions.

Fertilizer prices have increased significantly this fall and rumblings of possible supply shortages are a common topic of discussion in the agricultural industry.

Weather hasn’t helped nutrient management either. Western Canada suffered through a drought in 2021 while parts of Ontario were abnormally wet this fall. Moisture and heat both affect nutrient availability.

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