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An agronomic miracle: Camelina overcomes the toughest growing conditions

An agronomic miracle: Camelina overcomes the toughest growing conditions

Denis Keller planted Midas brand Camelina on 170 acres of very marginal land a few miles north of Landis, Sask., last April. It’s very sandy soil, near Goodspring Lake. “Kind of like beach sand,” said Garry Graham, agronomist with Central Plains Co-operative in Rosetown. Friends and relatives told Denis that this particular pasture land was not really fit for growing ...
by David Roberts on September 22, 2015
Camelina offers a sustainable solution for global aquaculture

Camelina offers a sustainable solution for global aquaculture

It seems ironic but a solution to the overfishing crisis in the worlds’ oceans can be directly tied to the productivity and ingenuity of dryland farmers in Western Canada. A new research study confirms that meal and oil derived from the oilseed plant Camelina sativa can effectively substitute for oil and meal in fish feed. This has major implications for the ...
by David Roberts on September 15, 2015
UPDATED: Camelina contracts for late-seeding Saskatchewan growers

UPDATED: Camelina contracts for late-seeding Saskatchewan growers

Smart Earth Seeds contracted about 5,000 acres of Midas Camelina among Saskatchewan producers last season and in 2015 we extended the contracting window as producers contemplated late seeding or re-seeding following frost and heavy rains. We are very happy to be working with our growers again this year, and plan on a successful season with this low-input, short season oilseed that matures in just ...
by David Roberts on May 19, 2015
Camelina feed, meal and oil shows potential to improve animal products

Camelina feed, meal and oil shows potential to improve animal products

An oilseed hat-trick: Camelina seed, meal and oil fed to chickens, goats and fish makes for healthier animal products, a growing body of research suggests. In one Romanian university study it was shown that goats whose feed is supplemented with Camelina produce milk that is healthier for humans. The study by Daniel Mierlita and Simona Iona Vicas, published in the South ...
by David Roberts on April 16, 2015
Bees love those pretty yellow camelina flowers

Bees love those pretty yellow camelina flowers

Researchers have found winter-grown camelina works very well as a forage resource for bees combing for nectar on sparse ground in early spring. Scientists with the United States Department of Agriculture planted pennycress, canola and camelina to see how bees responded to their early spring blooms. “All three cover crops had high insect visitation during their anthesis periods,” says a ...
by David Roberts on February 17, 2015
Camelina resists 5 common insect pests of canola

Camelina resists 5 common insect pests of canola

A team of Saskatoon researchers has found that Camelina seems to naturally resist 5 common insect pests that often plague the Canola crop. The study, published in The Canadian Entomologist, found that Camelina suffered little feeding damage from various crucifer-feeding flea beetles, root maggots or diamondback moths. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada researchers reported that diamondback moths laid fewer eggs on Camelina ...
by David Roberts on February 11, 2015
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