Seed is the basis of almost all food, which makes certified seed paramount to ensure food quality. If you don’t have...
Ashley Robinson
Ashley Robinson
Ashley Robinson was raised on a mixed cattle and grain farm in southwestern Manitoba. She attended the University of Regina where she studied journalism. Following university, she has spent the better part of the past decade writing about agriculture in publications across Canada and internationally. Robinson’s agriculture writing has covered topics from rural issues to commodity markets. Since joining Seed World Group her work has focused on covering all aspects of the Canadian potato industry from planting to farm management, and agriculture in Alberta focusing on how the seed industry connects to farmer’s daily lives.
Why Should Consumers Care About Certified Seed?
For most consumers, food is just something they buy in the grocery store. They don’t always consider all the work that...
Majority of Canadian Public Service Employees Back to Work Following Strike
The Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) has reached tentative agreements with Treasury Board of Canada for the...
Information Paramount When It Comes to Grocery Shopping
Consumers want information when grocery shopping, but information overload can happen. Grocery shopping is an...
From the Aisles to the Fields — How Grocery Shopping Affects Ag
When most farmers plant crops, it’s to produce food for consumers around the world. Those consumers buy that food at...
More than 155,000 Canadian Public Service Employees on Strike
More than 155,000 Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) members are on strike as of April 19, 2023, a news release...
Season Eight Seed Speaks Preview — The Marketing Power of Seed
Have you ever wondered how seed connects with the consumer? How the story of seed can be marketed or shared with a...
Trait Stacking Opens Up World of Possibilities for Plant Breeding
Trait stacking can help with everything from nutrition to weed control in the plant breeding world. Trait stacking...
Stacking Traits to Create the Varieties of the Future
Stacking traits in plant breeding isn’t anything new, it has been done for years. However, as herbicide resistance...
CP Rail Purchase of Kansas City Southern Approved
The purchase of Kansas City Southern Railway Company by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited has been approved by the...
Working Together on Plant Breeding
Public and private plant breeders believe there are opportunities to work together on plant breeding. While the public...
Marcus Samuel is Playing with Canola Genes
Marcus Samuel has modified canola to help make the Canadian crop weather the future. Marcus Samuel started out working...
The Differences Between Public and Private Plant Breeding
Plant breeding is funded one of two ways — public dollars paid for by governments or private dollars funded by...
Putting Together a Measure of Sustainability
With companies now publishing sustainability reports annually, you may wonder how these reports are put together. The...
Wide Range of Pests, Diseases for 2023 Crops in Alberta
Farmers in Alberta may face a range of issues in their fields with pests and crop diseases for the 2023 growing...
Breeding Crops to be Less Allergenic
With more known than ever before about the genes in plants, plant breeders are now breeding crops with less allergens...
Plant Breeding to Stop Allergies
Allergies and food intolerances to peanuts and wheat are extremely common these days. And while those with these...
Cover Cropping on the Rise in Alberta
Interest in cover crops is growing in Alberta as farmers look for ways to save their soil. As farmers in Alberta try...
Multiple Ag Amalgamations Happening (or Have Happened)
With the Alberta Wheat and Barley commissions set to amalgamate, it follows a growing trend in the agriculture...
The Plant Breeding Toolbox of the Future
Modern plant breeders have access to a wealth of tools that make their work easier. Long gone are the days of mashing...
Behind the Scenes of the Future of Plant Breeding
Plant breeding has come a long way and there’s a wealth of techniques that breeders use to make new crop varieties....
Westlock Seeding Cleaning Co-op is Upgrading their Seed Plant
Westlock Seeding Cleaning Co-op has taken on a massive new project — building a whole new plant. Over the years...
Going Beyond the Ag Chemical Headlines
Consumer misconceptions about ag chemical use are usually based on a grain of truth. Headlines about agriculture...
Western Canada Canola Performance Trials Ending
The prairie provincial canola grower associations have made the decision to discontinue funding of the current variety...
Misconceptions of Chemical Use on Crops
Technology and research advancements have changed how farmers use chemicals on their crops. Even with these...
How Images Shape Consumer’s Perceptions of Ag
Images such as a red barn can influence how consumers view agriculture and it’s not always for the better. Agriculture...
The Red Barn Myth
You may have seen an image of a little red barn and a farmer in overalls next to it before. Traditionally this image...
Share the Big Picture to Move Ag Policy Forward
Focusing on the societal impact when explaining agriculture to policy makers and consumers is paramount. When...
How Consumer Trends Affect Ag Policy
You’ve heard the saying the customer is always right, but is that always true? When governments are making new...
Seed Growers in Alberta and B.C. are Joining Together
Seed growers in Alberta and British Columbia have come together to form one new united organization. A new...
Irrigation Stewardship Can Help Fight Droughts
By using water smartly growers can fight the effects of drought and water availability concerns. With droughts seeming...
Canola Emergence Issues Linked to Seed Treatment, Weather
BASF has found emergence issues with InVigor canola hybrids may have been caused by seed treatment and environmental...
The Difference Irrigation Can Make
When it comes to growing crops, water is important… and for some, access to irrigation is paramount. Irrigation though...
Will Van Roessel is Expanding the Offerings as a Seed Grower
Will Van Roessel is always up for trying out a new crop as a seed grower. Will Van Roessel has always been a farmer...
Better Seed Genetics Push Straight Cutting Canola Trend Forward
With pod shatter traits in canola and farmers looking to save time and money, straight cutting canola has become more...
Should You Swath or Straight Cut Canola?
Traditionally canola crops have been cut down with a swather before harvesting, but in the last decade a new trend has...
Yadeta Kabeta is Breeding Barley in the Heart of Cattle Country
Yadeta Kabeta runs Canada’s only dedicated feed and forage barley breeding program in Canada at FCDC. Alberta is known...
Don’t Hoard Chemicals Amid Supply Chain Crunch
Rising prices may have you wanting to stockpile on chemicals, but experts say it won’t help in the long run. Supply...
Future of Plant Protein Processing Bright for Alberta
With multiple plant protein processing plants having opened or being built in Alberta, opportunities abound for the...
To Spray or Not to Spray as Production Costs Rise
The growing season isn’t easy, and this year it’s been extra hard as rising production costs are making it harder to...
Season Five Seed Speaks Preview — Agronomics in Action
The summer growing season means long days and short nights. Those working in agriculture know how challenging and...
Harnessing the Power of Social Media in Your Business
Making the most of social media as a business means having a social media policy. When it comes to social media for...
Boosting the Protein Content in Crops
Logan Skori is working to increase the protein content on crops across the Prairies. Logan Skori wasn’t exactly sure...
Is Your Social Media Policy Up to Snuff?
Social media is an integral part of business these days. In the agriculture world, people use it to share everything...
At the Foremost Co-op Seed Cleaning Plant it’s All in the Family
The Foremost Co-operative Seed Cleaning Plant is run by a father and son team, but the family roots don’t stop there....
China Lifts Richardson, Viterra Canola Seed Import Bans
China has reinstated canola seed import access for Richardson International and Viterra, a May 18 statement from...
Witdouck Farms is Built on a Career of Opportunities
Witdouck Farms has taken every opportunity to expand and diversify over the past four decades. When brothers Dale,...
Stay on Track to Avoid Meeting Fatigue
The key to successful meetings is sticking to an agenda and focusing on communication. Having regular meetings with...
Canadian Census of Ag Shows Sustainable Ag Shift
The following piece is from our sister publication, Spud Smart. More Canadian farmers than ever are shifting their...
Why You Should Hold Staff Meetings Whether You’re in the Shop or Board Room
Whether you are running a farm or in an office, getting that meeting request can be viewed as a nuisance. But when...
Striving Forward for FCDC at its New Home at Olds College
The Field Crop Development Centre is settling into its new home at Olds College with a refocus on what research it...