Picture this: You’re driving down a backroad and a vehicle approaches. You glance at your hand on the steering wheel. What happens next? Does one finger move up with a nod of recognition? Do you give a two finger salute? Maybe you give an entire hand wave? Or, if you’re like me, sometimes the wave… Read More
Author: Kara Oosterhuis
Kara Oosterhuis is a Field Editor for RealAgriculture, covering all things agronomy in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. She grew up on a mixed irrigation and dryland farm northeast of Bow Island, Alta. Kara has always had a love for agriculture and a desire for telling stories - so she figured she may as well choose a career that lets her do both.
With some insects, we may be confused as to why they have the name they do. When it comes to cutworms — this isn’t the case. It’s pretty “cut” and dry…as the pest will feed on the stems of the plant. Cutworms unfortunately don’t have terrific forecast maps, as Jack Payne of South Country Co-op… Read More
Whether the corn crop is just being planted or is emerging in the field, it’s time to do some digging around. If the crop hasn’t emerged yet, you can still do some diagnostics to evaluate how everything is going and get a better understanding of the corn root, and how the corn plant is growing…. Read More
When it comes to seeding depth of canola, there are many different opinions and recommendations out there. While there may not be a right or wrong answer — did you know you can potentially mitigate flea beetle pressure through seeding depth? Flea beetles can be one of the most detrimental insect when it comes to… Read More
If you’re a pea grower, you’ve seen it: the notching that almost looks like someone took a hole puncher to your plants as they unfold. That feeding is characteristic to the pea leaf weevil. As Lyle Jensen with AgroPlus Inc explains in this Pulse School episode, you’ll see the pea leaf weevil during the day,… Read More
A $225 million plant protein processing facility is to be built in Strathmore, Alberta. Phyto Organix is set to break ground on the 15-acre facility, which the company says will be net-zero, in fall of 2022. Chris Theal, founder, president, and CEO of Phyto Organix, says the investment will generate over $120 million of annual… Read More
Every year, there seems to be times we have more questions about the crop than others. As the wheat crop is emerging is often one of those times. In order to get those questions answered properly, there’s a few different things you’re going to need to do, says Jeremy Boychyn, agronomy research extension specialist with… Read More
Weather is the one subject we just can’t help but talk about. As I sit here in southern Alberta and look out at the rain drops — albeit, not large amounts of it, but hey it’s rain — finally pitter-pattering against the window, I’m thinking about rainy-day traditions. On our farm, since we do live… Read More
In ideal conditions, the recommendation is to roll pea acres shortly after seeding. But what happens when a portion of the Prairie’s pulse growing acres are facing extreme drought? Jack Payne, agronomy solutions manager with South Country Co-op Ltd, says some growers may opt to roll later — because if you roll right after the… Read More
The Successors is a RealAgriculture podcast series hosted by Kara Oosterhuis focusing on agriculture from the perspective of the up-and-coming generation. How do you make a choice to change your career, when you have committed to a certain track? What can you do to unite the industry, and break down silos within agriculture? Why is… Read More
Two well-known brands, especially in the U.S. Midwest — Busch Light and John Deere — have made the best of spring in an attempt to raise some funds for a good cause. According to the official Busch Beer website, “For the Farmers” is a partnership between the two companies to raise awareness of the needs… Read More
As I sit in my home office and listen to my house get sandblasted, while patio furniture flys around the yard, and watching topsoil swirl left and right, I can’t help but think — is this what The Dust Bowl looked like? Despite many areas of Canada experiencing too much moisture and cool temperatures —… Read More
With over 30 species of wireworms across the Prairies, the chances of you seeing some in the springtime are pretty good. For the most part, it does get narrowed down into three main species of wireworms that seem to cause the most issues in our cereal crops: the bicolor, the destructor, and the californicus. Lyle… Read More
We’ve all experienced those fields where the weeds have gotten out of hand. Sometimes weeds getting away on us is because we didn’t have a great handle on what was out there to begin with. RongRong Xian, technical service manager with BASF, says scouting before you get into the field with the drill is key…. Read More
Looking at the current state of the commodity markets, you may be tempted to make some last minute changes to your crop plan. Deviating away from your crop rotation may seem like a good idea in the short term, but as Sheldon Toews, technical service specialist with BASF, explains in this Canola School episode that… Read More