Hursh Comment

It’s ironic, but some producers in the extremely wet areas may end up with an income tax problem this year. Here’s why. In good years, producers typically defer income on grain sales. A lot of income was deferred into 2010. Many of the inputs for this year will have been purchased and expensed in 2009. …

The Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture is estimating seeding progress at 70 per cent. That means more than nine million acres of intended acreage has not been seeded in the province. In the northeast and east central regions, only about half of the crop has been -planted. In some localized areas, the vast majority of cropland …

Unseeded acreage is destined to become a political football. A growing number of rural municipalities are declaring themselves agricultural disaster areas. NDP leader Dwain Lingenfelter is currently touring some of the hardest hit regions. There are already calls for the federal and provincial governments to respond to this unprecedented situation, but it’s difficult to see …

The Manitoba Cattle Producers Association has sent out a news release saying what many producers have been thinking – the so-called AgriRecovery program needs established consistent guidelines. The MCPA lobbied both the Manitoba and federal governments for an AgriRecovery program for cattle producers in the southwest corner of that province due to extreme drought conditions. …

An extension was announced last week to the Saskatchewan Crop Insurance seeding deadline. While a commendable gesture, it may not be in a producer’s best interests to still be trying to seed on June 15 or 20. Seeding into mud typically results in poor emergence and a poor crop. And yield potential steadily declines as …

With the massive seeding delay, what kind of acreage shifts might there be? Will total seeded acreage in Saskatchewan be down by two million or five million acres? It’s logical to believe there will now be more barley and oats seeded since they require less days to maturity. This may come at the expense of …

Why is it that a lot of older AM radios have far better reach than the radios we have now? I run an old Versatile 875 tractor for seeding. When I got the tractor a couple of years ago, I initially thought the radio didn’t work. Well, the buttons no longer tune to stations, you …

I’ve always admired the old timers who can tell you weather and farming stories from bygone decades. It amazes me how many folks can tell you the year of the big flood or the major drought or the big frost. Well, the spring of 2010 is one for the record books. Precipitation maps from the …

There seems to be a bewildering array of new herbicides on the market, but looks are deceiving. Provincial weed control specialist Clark Brenzil points out that there are only two new active ingredients on the market this year. One of those is Heat from BASF. All the other new product names are just repackaged chemistry …

I heard an interview with our federal agriculture minister and Mr. Ritz was explaining why it took so long to come out with the AgriRecovery program announced yesterday for the livestock industry. According to Gerry Ritz, the $50 per cow and other amounts for other species took so long to announce because they had to …

Saskatchewan is about one more rain away from a very big problem. Depending upon where you look and who you ask, we may already have a very big problem. When it’s the middle of May and there’s a major rain event, the conventional wisdom is, “Don’t worry, there’s still lots of time.” Now, it’s the …

April and May have seen an unprecedented amount of rain over most of Saskatchewan and there’s more rain falling. Precipitation maps compiled by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada show most of the grainbelt has already had more than two times normal precipitation this spring. Much of central Saskatchewan is at a record high. Only the southeast …