Fusarium head blight (FHB) is a big concern for wheat growers each season, but some years, like 2020, the risk is incredibly high for a huge portion of the Prairies. The provincial FHB risk maps were lit up red and yellow for much of the growing season until about now. For many, early August may… Read More
Tillers are a totally normal physiological process in corn — since it is a grass like wheat or barley — and they’re nothing to be concerned about. They’re also nothing to get excited about either, as unlike wheat or barley, tillers don’t contribute to yield. In this episode of Corn School (this time in the… Read More
Usually when a farmer considers using a planter in Western Canada, it’s to plant canola crops, not pulse crops. But there are those exploring that option in Alberta. Scott Gillespie, independent agronomist with Plants Dig Soil Consulting, has been working at scaling up plot trials he first saw at Farming Smarter. In this episode of… Read More
A certain caterpillar that blew in on the wind may be wreaking havoc in your cereal crops. John Gavloski, provincial entomologist for Manitoba Agriculture and Resource Development, joined Kara Oosterhuis for this episode of Wheat School to talk all things armyworm. Armyworm is different from bertha armyworm in a few ways: their preferred food is… Read More
Grow great wheat! It’s a catchy slogan, sure, but HOW do you grow great wheat? In this episode of the Wheat School, Peter “Wheat Pete” Johnson is fired up about the synergistic relationship between wheat inputs. “As we add all these fungicides, we add more nitrogen, we add these plant growth regulators, how does that… Read More
Kochia is a big concern for farmers across the Prairies, primarily because it’s a tough weed to kill, and the population is rife with herbicide resistance. Most farmers are aware of Group 2 resistance — which is old news — but newer Group 9 resistance is cropping up, which further complicates control of this prolific… Read More
After a challenging spring that saw getting the crop planted take precedent over pre-seed weed control, soybean growers in Western Canada have had to be diligent in catching up with potentially yield-robbing kochia, lamb’s quarters, volunteer canola, and other weeds in-crop. To keep yield losses down to less than five per cent, most soybean varieties… Read More
There are well over 100 species of grasshoppers across Canada, but there are four that like cereal crops in particular. Of those four, certain species can dominate a certain region. All of them can make short work of a crop in no time, left unchecked. John Gavloski, provincial entomologist for Manitoba Agriculture and Resource Development,… Read More
While you’re out scouting your peas, lentils, or faba beans for disease at early flowering, have a look for pea aphids too. “Flowering is a good time to be scouting for aphids in peas,” says John Gavloski, provincial entomologist with Manitoba Agriculture and Resource Development. “The most damage they can do is going to occur… Read More
“It is hot!” says Peter “Wheat Pete” Johnson in this episode of the Wheat School. And that heat is taking a bite out of wheat yields. Wheat is a cool season crop and does not like heat, so when temperatures start to climb yield can be impacted. The most critical stage is at filling. It… Read More
It has long been believed that soybean doesn’t flower until after the summer solstice — June 21, the longest day of the year. Research from Dr. Shawn Conley and his team from the University of Wisconsin-Madison says otherwise, and in this episode of Soybean School, Conley joins Bernard Tobin to chat about early flowering in… Read More
We’re starting to see some flowering in canola and with that, scouting for sclerotinia is on the to-do list. Justine Cornelsen, with the Canola Council of Canada, based out of Manitoba, joined Kara Oosterhuis in this latest episode of Canola School. “It comes down to environmental conditions,” says Cornelsen, “Do you have enough moisture? Is… Read More
All the “knee-high by the first (or fourth) of July” photos have been posted on social media, with the crop looking nice from above; but what’s going on below the canopy? Now is the time to check weed populations and assess herbicide performance, says Jeanette Gaultier, senior technical services specialist with BASF, joining us for… Read More
Early flowering can be a really good check point for canola crops. Scouting at early flower can be very instructive for what to expect further along in the season, and it’s a great opportunity to see what insects are out there or could develop into an issue later in the season. In this episode of… Read More
Every corn crop is different. The year-over-year variables really play into a fungicide timing strategy, but the most important question to ask when strategizing for fungicide timing may be: “What is your corn crop doing right now?” Ken Currah, with BASF Canada, joins RealAgriculture’s Bernard Tobin for this episode of the Corn School to walk… Read More