Will 2019 be a soybean aphid year? With a short, late-developing crop that lacks a dense canopy, growers will have to be on the look out for the minuscule, light green, pear-shaped pests, says Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs entomologist Tracey Baute. With smaller plants, it doesn’t take as many aphids to… Read More
Magic juice. All Purpose Fix-it Spray. If only there was something farmers could use to help plants repair themselves after hail damage — because there isn’t, right? Mid-summer often means extreme weather and hail storm season and 2019 is proving to be no different. Following a hail storm, many discussions centre around yield potential, whether… Read More
Western bean cutworm (WBC) moths typically hit peak flight this week in Ontario — but not this year. Cold, wet spring conditions across the province not only delayed crop planting and development but also put the squeeze on the mating and flight patterns of the yield-robbing pest. On this episode of RealAgriculture’s Corn School, Ontario… Read More
Besides just the sheer work of moving through crops on foot (and, in some cases, trying not to get lost in them), scouting can prove difficult in just deciding what path to walk. Drone technology is changing that. According to Adrian Moens of AJM Seeds, using drones to map a field prior to scouting gives… Read More
Farmers across Canada will have five new fungicides in their disease management toolbox in 2020. This week, Syngenta Canada rolled out Miravis, a new fungicide umbrella brand that will offer five new products growers can use to fight disease in a range of crops. In this video, Eric Phillips, Syngenta Canada’s fungicides and insecticides product… Read More
This year’s weather has had many farmers second guessing each and every spray pass, from pre-seed burndown, to in-crop control, and now fungicide treatments. Tom Wolf, with Sprayers 101 and AgriMetrix, says that the spray input decisions has been especially difficult with the funny rainfall patterns experienced by much of Saskatchewan and other parts of… Read More
Every year is different when it comes to insect populations and pest management. Weather, varietal selection, and natural enemy numbers all impact pest development. This year, dry conditions in parts of the Prairies have a particular insect thriving. “The big, big one right now is grasshoppers,” says Scott Meers, Government of Alberta insect management specialist,… Read More
After a worryingly dry start to the year, Saskatchewan has finally seen some moisture, and it shows. “We’ve been very fortunate,” says Sherrilyn Phelps of the Saskatchewan Pulse Growers. “Over the past month…we’ve gone from where crops are barely hanging on in some areas where it’s been so dry, to getting that rain and all… Read More
The corn is growing like a bad weed, while the earliest of the fall-seeded crops are starting to get harvested. Just in time, Ontario is getting some heat and humidity, and that means all sorts of questions for the host of Wheat Pete’s Word. In this week’s Word, Peter Johnson covers fusarium/DON development in the… Read More
Soybean growers looking for cover crops that can deliver soil health benefits and weed suppression without a yield hit may want to consider planting into cereal rye. Based on Ontario testing conducted in 2017 and 2018, planting soybeans into standing rye doesn’t hurt your soybean yields, says Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs… Read More
It may have been a dry start to the year, with little to name of seedling diseases, but that doesn’t mean canola producers are off the disease-scouting hook this summer. According to Clint Jurke, agronomy director with the Canola Council of Canada, due to the last four weeks of higher precipitation levels over the Prairies,… Read More
New Zealand doesn’t share a lot in common with Canada, however, when it comes to growing high-yielding wheat Kiwi growers do count on similar management practices to put big-bushel wheat crops in the bin. Syngenta commercial products lead Sam Livesey, a New Zealand native, concedes that the country’s wheat industry is diminutive (135,000 acres) but… Read More
Difficult planting conditions across Ontario this spring are set to test growers yet again as corn fungicide application timing approaches. On this episode of the RealAgriculture Corn School, Ridgetown College, University of Guelph professor Dave Hooker explains that growers looking to control gibberella ear rot can expect a 50 per cent reduction in DON when… Read More
Fusarium head blight is one of the most harmful diseases of wheat and also one of the most challenging to manage. Researchers are continuously trying to figure out the best control methods since it’s one of those diseases that if you see it in your crop, you are most likely too late. In this Wheat… Read More
The debate continues across the Prairies on whether or not to straight-cut canola. While some producers have been doing it for years, the process can be a bit daunting for others who have been considering the option. Shawn Senko, agronomy specialist with the Canola Council of Canada, says in this Canola School episode that if… Read More