Early Seeding Favours Higher Yields, But Does Not Guarantee Them

Apr 13, 2020

There are many factors that determine how well a crop yields.

Manitoba Agriculture & Resource Development Cereal Specialist Anne Kirk commented on the importance of seeding a crop on time.

"By the fourth week of May, we do see that yield potential has dropped to below 80 per cent of average for spring wheat, barley, corn, field peas, sunflowers," she said. "Oats, canola and soybeans, according to MASC data, remain above 85 per cent of average yield potential. Seeding in the second/third week of May you might not see that much of a drop in yield potential for a lot of crops but seeding at the beginning of June, you'd obviously see some bigger drops depending on the crop."

Kirk says its important to let the field dry up before starting spring field operations.

Click here to see more...

Video: Finding a Balance of Innovation and Regulation - Dr. Peter Facchini

Regulations help markets and industry exist on level playing fields, keeping consumers safe and innovation from going too far. However, incredibly strict regulations can stunt innovation and cause entire industries to wither away. Dr. Peter James Facchini brings his perspective on how existing regulations have slowed the advancement of medical developments within Canada. Given the international concern of opium poppy’s illicit potential, Health Canada must abide by this global policy. But with modern technology pushing the development of many pharmaceuticals to being grown via fermentation, is it time to reconsider the rules?

Dr. Peter James Facchini leads research into the metabolic biochemistry in opium poppy at the University of Calgary. For more than 30 years, his work has contributed to the increased availability of benzylisoquinoline alkaloid biosynthetic genes to assist in the creation of morphine for pharmaceutical use. Dr. Facchini completed his B.Sc. and Ph.D. in Biological Sciences at the University of Toronto before completing Postdoctoral Fellowships in Biochemistry at the University of Kentucky in 1992 & Université de Montréal in 1995.