Winter wheat can yield up to 45 percent more than spring wheat, so why don’t more Western Canadian growers crank up the seeder and get more in the ground before the snow flies? Winter wheat is grown across the Prairies, but unless there is a large amount of a certain class grown, it’s difficult for… Read more »
Category: Crop Schools
Canola School: Clubroot monitoring key to protecting Saskatchewan industry
Relatively few cases of clubroot have been confirmed in Saskatchewan, but with many documented cases just to the west in Alberta an obvious question emerges – has Saskatchewan been good or has it been lucky? In this episode of Real Agriculture’s Canola School, Errin Willenborg, research director with SaskCanola, discusses the status of the clubroot… Read more »
Corn School: Time to trap western bean cutworm
Have you set your western bean cutworm (WBC) traps yet? Setting traps is the most effective means of determining whether the yield-robbing pest is setting up shop in your cornfields. In this episode of RealAgriculture Corn School, OMAFRA field entomologist Tracey Baute shows growers how to set traps and discusses the growing importance of the WBC Trap… Read more »
Soybean School: Bean leaf beetle making a comeback
Many Ontario farmers will remember when they routinely sprayed soybean crops to control bean leaf beetle. That changed 10 years ago with the introduction of neonicotinoid insecticide seed treatments, which helped suppress populations of the pest in Ontario and many U.S. states. But the pest is mounting a comeback as neonic use continues to decline and… Read more »
Corn School: Will drone sprayers fit your farm?
Is the clock ticking on the future of your ground sprayer? Could it eventually be replaced by a swarm of UAV sprayers that could better target weeds and deliver herbicide to exact locations in the field? These are questions we explore with AGRIS Co-operative agronomist Dale Cowan on this episode of RealAgriculture’s Corn School. Cowan recently… Read more »
Canola School: How much seed is enough and how much is too much?
Seeding rates are always a hot topic, and for good reason. The only thing more expensive than buying and planting too much canola seed is not having enough seed in the ground and losing yield potential. Canola Council of Canada agronomist Ian Epp is often asked, “Can I lower my seeding rate?” as farmers are… Read more »
Wheat School: Should you worry about head snag?
Hot days and warm nights have produced lots of head snag in Ontario winter wheat fields. RealAgriculture agronomist Peter Johnson explains that a string of 30-degree days and 20-degree nights earlierthis spring promoted rapid growth in wheat fields just as the wheat crop was heading out. Those are perfect conditions for head snag. “Some of… Read more »
‘Learn to Lead’ heading into its third year
SaskCanola is working to encourage and train the next generation of farm leaders. Tracy Broughton, policy and producer relations manager for SaskCanola, says that it’s leadership development is key to making sure the baton will be passed to eager and capable hands. With that in mind, SaskCanola is starting to plan the third year of… Read more »
Wheat School: How to manage late-arriving stripe rust
Stripe rust is back again in Ontario wheat fields for the third consecutive year. The leaf disease first showed up in the province in 2016, and earlier this week Agromart agronomist Nicole Bloetjes reported 2018’s first stripe rust sighting in a field near St. Marys. Should wheat growers be concerned? What should you do? In… Read more »
Soybean School: No quick fix for managing protein
The introduction of protein price discounts by at least one soybean buyer in Western Canada this past winter has left soybean growers wondering what can be done to ensure Prairie soybeans are high enough in protein content. Unfortunately, there’s no quick or easy management fix, says Dennis Lange, pulse and soybean production specialist with Manitoba… Read more »
Corn School: How deep should you plant your corn?
What’s the ideal depth for planting corn? What happens if you plant too shallow? In this episode of RealAgriculture’s Corn School, PRIDE Seeds agronomist Aaron Stevanus digs into a seeding depth trial to show how planting depth can impact early-season growth. We catch up with Stevanus at the company’s Elmira, ON, research site where he evaluates the… Read more »
Pulse School: Scout early to get a jump on weed and insect pressure
Pulse planting conditions were mostly dry this spring, but many farmers were able to seed into moisture. In most cases, plant emergence has been good, and with recent rains the crop is ready to move into high gear. That means it’s time to do some scouting! Dale Leftwich, Saskatchewan field editor for RealAgriculture, stopped in… Read more »
Soybean School: Why tackle herbicide resistance with multiple modes of action?
Many agronomists talk about the importance of multiple modes of action when planning a weed control program. In this episode of RealAgriculture’s Soybean School, Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs weed specialist Mike Cowbrough shows you why. We catch up with Cowbrough as he surveys a patch of Canada fleabane that has survived… Read more »
Soybean School: Scout to evaluate your stand and when to go rolling
What’s your strategy when scouting a newly emerged soybean field? When Agromart Group agronomist Steph Kowalski walks into a soybean field this time of year, the first thing she looks to assess is final emergence and population. “It’s important to know how well we got that seed into the ground,” Kowalski tells RealAgriculture’s Bernard Tobin… Read more »
Corn School: A 3-point post-planting scouting checklist
Hot, humid weather across much of corn-growing areas of Ontario has the crop adding a leaf stage about every four days. As corn pops in to that 4-leaf to 5-leaf stage, it’s time to get some dust on the boots and check three key aspects of early crop establishment: plant health, weed escapes, and planter… Read more »