The Western Producer - September 14, 2017

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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2017

VOL. 95 | NO. 37 | $4.25

Clubroot found Canola disease found in Saskatchewan | P. 3

New spuds SERVING WESTERN CANADIAN FARM FAMILIES SINCE 1923

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WWW.PRODUCER.COM

Why potato breeding takes time | P. 50

HARVEST MOON

Ed Gilbert combines one of his wheat fields under a nearly full moon Sept. 5 south of Brandon, while Blaine Wakefield waits in his nearby tractor. Yields for wheat in the area have been more than 60 bushels per acre. | SANDY BLACK PHOTO

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Harvesting dry grain can evaporate profits Some farmers ‘rewet’ crop before selling it, but it’s tricky — and illegal SASKATOON NEWSROOM

Predominantly dry conditions across most of Western Canada means that much of this year’s grain and oilseed crop will come off dry. That’s good news for growers. However, excessively dry conditions can reduce the value of grain, especially if it comes off the field at extremely low moisture levels.

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New varieties rescue wheat crop

Sask. and Alta. remain on fire alert | P. 16

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Much has been said about soil moisture reserves, but better genetics also saved crop yields from drought this year

BY BRIAN CROSS

SEE HARVESTING, PAGE 4

Fire watch

BY ROBERT ARNASON BRANDON BUREAU

Somewhere between $300 and $325 million — that’s how much the latest spring wheat varieties with superior water use efficiency may have added to Saskatchewan’s production this year. Farmers in many parts of Saskatchewan have been surprised this year by their crop yields, including spring wheat yields,

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because soil conditions have been exceptionally dr y for months. A fair number of growers have said on Twitter and in anecdotal reports that spring wheat yields are exceeding expectations. “Though we are hardly harvesting a bumper crop, I think it is safe to say that our crops are yielding better than we had anticipated,” said Bill Gehl, chair of the Saskatchewan Wheat Commission

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SEPTEMBER 14, 2017 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: Box 2500, Stn. Main, Saskatoon, SK. S7K 2C4

chair and a farmer near Regina, which received 1.8 millimetres of rain in July, the second lowest amount on record. “The droughts that we experienced in Saskatchewan in the ’80s … certainly produced much lower yields.” Other wheat growers near Gehl’s farm are also reporting decent to strong yields. SEE NEW VARIETIES, PAGE 4

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The Western Producer is published in Saskatoon by Western Producer Publications, which is owned by GVIC Communications Corp. Publisher: Shaun Jessome Publications Mail Agreement No. 40069240

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