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Agriculture Roundup for Thursday July 16, 2020

Jul 16, 2020 | 9:52 AM

MELFORT, Sask – The Grain Growers of Canada (GGC) have welcomed a new member.

The Manitoba Crop Alliance (MCA) consists of five commodity groups – Manitoba Wheat and Barley Growers Association, Manitoba Corn Growers Association, National Sunflower Association of Canada, Winter Cereals Manitoba and Manitoba Flax Growers Association.

The organization will continue to represent wheat, barley, corn, sunflower and flax, and officially begins collecting check-off levies from the sales of these crops starting on Aug. 1.

GGC and MCA will be jointly focused on improving the competitiveness of Canadian agriculture on the domestic and international front.

The Saskatchewan Barley Development Commission is accepting applications for its 2020-21 scholarships.

It is for university students who are carrying out university-level research that will benefit Saskatchewan’s barley sector.

The program will include two scholarships, one at a graduate level for $5,000 and at the undergraduate level for $2,000.

The scholarships are for students enrolled in part or full-time studies focused on barley research.

With the warm and humid weather Saskatchewan farmers are being advised to monitor their crops for plant diseases.

Weyburn crops extension specialist Sherri Roberts said some early signs of ergot have turned up in roadside grass.

She said producers should mow the grass to keep the plant disease from spreading into nearby fields and pasture.

Ergot is a fungus disease which downgrades crops and can cause abortions in cattle.

alice.mcfarlane@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @AliceMcF