The Growing Point Podcast

Malting barley quality: quality and on-farm management impacts on the malting process

In this episode of The Growing Point podcast, we chat with Sherwin Santiano, a malting and brewing technician of the Canadian Malting Barley Technical Centre and Peter Watts, the managing director of the Canadian Malting Barley Technical Centre. We discuss what malt barley is, what the malting process looks like, as well as the impacts that malting quality and farm management can have on the process. This podcast is chalked full of information about the malting process so enjoy!

Malting barley varieties and markets: now and into the future

In this episode of The Growing Point podcast, we chat with Peter Watts, the managing director of the Canadian Malting Barley Technical Centre. We chat with Peter about the current status of the malt barley market, where the majority of Canadian malt barley is sold, and where there are future opportunities for malt barley market growth. We also discuss some of the new malting varieties available for malt barley growers, and why growers need to take a keen look at new variety options.

 

Links for further information:

CMBTC: https://cmbtc.com/

 

New variety information videos:

Better Malt Better Barley: Pre-harvest in St. Albert Alberta: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWC7M1W7-Cg

Better Malt Better Barley: Pre-harvest in Westlock Alberta: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqhoiYd3bG8

Better Malt Better Barley: Early season in Westlock Alberta: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3d7uG2yda1Y

Creating clarity around alkali, alkaline, and saline soils with Wes Anderson

In this episode, we speak with Wes Anderson, Vice President of agronomy with Croptimistic Technology. Anderson discusses the terms alkali, alkaline, saline, and saline-sodic and how they impact land and crop management.

Nitrogen losses and loss mitigation with Dr. Jeff Schoenau

In this episode, we speak with Dr. Jeff Schoenau, Professor of Soil Science at the University of Saskatchewan. Dr. Schoenau provides a breakdown of the major pathways that nitrogen can be lost to the environment. He also discusses management practices producers can implement to mitigate loss and increase their nitrogen use efficiency.

Professor Myles Dick and the Breton Plots Legacy

In this episode, we speak with Myles Dick professor of soil science in the Department of Renewable Resources at the University of Alberta. I chat with Myles about the legacy of the Breton Plots, a long-standing plot research location in Alberta, Canada that has been conducting trials since 1929. We also discuss how decisions are made around some of the legacy plots and what agricultural knowledge the Breton Plots are providing today.

Mineralization, immobilization and developing nitrogen recommendations – Dr. Don Flaten & John Heard

With high fertilizer prices, ongoing drought, and potential for nitrogen carryover from the 2021 season, it is important we assess nitrogen is available in the soil for the 2022 growing season. Dr. Don Flaten (Retired University of Manitoba professor) and John Heard (Soil fertility specialist with the Government of Manitoba) provide insight into how mineralization and immobilization play a role in your nitrogen fertility plan. Hint: your expected nitrogen release value may not be as reliable as you think!

Tillage and soil health with Dr. Martin Entz

On this episode of The Growing Point Podcast, I speak with Dr. Martin Entz, a professor at the University of Manitoba. Entz describes tillage as it relates to soil health and crop production in western Canada. We discuss how much tillage is too much tillage, the types of tillage and their impacts on soil, and how producers can think about tillage. We also discuss the relationship between tillage, plant diversity, soil health.

Parasitism of Wheat Midge and what you can do to help with Jennifer Otani (AAFC Beaverlodge)

In this episode we chat with Jennifer Otani (AAFC Beaverlodge) regarding wheat midge on the prairies and in the peace region. We chat about the wheat midge life cycle, damage, and mechanisms tools for producers. We also delve into the complex relationship that wheat midge has with Macroglenes penetrans, a beneficial wasp that parasitizes wheat midge, and how farming practices in crops like canola impact its ability to reduce wheat midge populations. The links that Jennifer mentions:

http://insectpestmanagement.blogspot.com/2021/06/talking-about-wheat-midge-and-its.html?m=1

https://prairiepest.ca/

Identifying Spring Wheat Varieties that Improve Nitrogen Use Efficiency – Dr. Kate Congreves

We chat with Dr. Kate Congreves (Assistant Prof at the University of Saskatchewan) regarding some exciting work she is currently conducting. Partially funded by the Alberta Wheat Commission(AWC) to conduct this research, Congeves is working with breeders to investigate Nitrogen Use Efficiency (NUE) in spring wheat cultivars. Understanding which Canadian wheat varieties have higher NUE can increase the value a producer receives from each unit of nitrogen. This is because varieties with higher NUE are able to produce each unit of yield on less nitrogen. This research has many impacts for producers of spring wheat in western Canada including future access to more nitrogen efficient varieties as well as a better understanding of what currently available varieties display higher NUE.

Preventing selection of herbicide-resistant weeds with Dr. Breanne Tidemann (AAFC)

In this episode, we chat with Dr. Breanne Tidemann about why weeds are jerks. We chat about the current state of weed resistance in Western Canada, how we got here, and what it means for farmers' pockets. We also chat about what weed resistance looks like in a field, how it develops in a plant, and what producers can do to mitigate resistance. Check out the Resistant Wild Oat Action Committee website here, https://weedscience.ca/wild-oat-action-committee/ and follow them on Twitter @RWildOat. (https://twitter.com/RWildOat)