Many people think that if farmers get moisture you are ensured success. Well this year is proving that moisture can also bring challenges. One of those challenges is crusting (see picture below). Canola has a hard time penetrating any crust. This year the crust in many areas seems to be worse than usual and growers… Read more »
Category: Crop Schools
Canola School: Broadcast Planting Canola Seed
As we mentioned last week, we are dealing with abnormal rainfall and cool temps in Alberta and Saskatchewan and that has pushed canola seeding back further than desired. Now that the calendar has entered June, many farmers have started hiring floaters to broadcast seed the canola seed. This is not ideal but the unfortunate reality… Read more »
Wheat School: Who is the GFO?
We have no shortage of farmer led groups in Canada. Almost every crop has a growers association that represents their interests in Ottawa, tries to create demand for the commodity with end users and consumers, supports the agronomics of the crop and provides services to the members. Many times this can feel disjointed and does… Read more »
Canola School: Dealing With Abnormal Rainfall and Temperatures
Okay I will say it…..this spring has been a real challenge. Crop staging is quite varied. We have plants battling frosty conditions and there is thousands of acres that have not been planted yet. If have crop up it feels like it is standing still in the water or colder temperatures and if you are… Read more »
Wheat School: Dealing with Septoria
Septoria can have a nasty impact on your wheat crop yield and overall plant health. Found across Canada, Septoria must be scouted prior to the flag leaf emerging. The disease favors wet windy conditions so the impact will be less in drier years. Leaf disease can have major impact on your overall crop health because it… Read more »
Wheat School: Understanding Powdery Mildew
In more humid climates, powdery mildew can have a real negative impact on your wheat crop. It is actually known as one of the easier diseases to spot but needs to be sprayed with fungicide to ensure proper control. In the below video chat with Luc Bourgeois, Research and Development at Bayer Crop Science Eastern… Read more »
Wheat School: Be Careful When Spraying After Cool Nights
Across the country we continue to see winter like conditions. Corn has suffered significant frost damage in Ontario and farmers in the western provinces continue to battle snow drifts. In-climate whether sometimes forces farmers to crowd suggested spraying windows and gamble on the effectiveness of the product or risk unwanted damage to the crop itself…. Read more »
Wheat School: Evaluating Planting Depth After Emergence
It is easy to talk about seeding depth pre-planting but it is even more critical to review planting depth after emergence. It is no different than any other business process. PLAN – EXECUTE – REVIEW – IMPROVE – REPEAT THE CYCLE. The stand above ground tells only part of the story though. You also need… Read more »
Canola School: Why You Should Seed Canola First Once it Dries Up
The weather in Western Canada this spring has really been unbelievable. With portions of March that felt like June and an April that felt like January, farmers have been stalled in the field. Many tractors and seeders were trapped in snow drifts for a couple weeks and many people were without power a couple times…. Read more »
Canola School: What is the Ideal Seeding Rate?
So far we have addressed seeding speed and seeding depth. The last piece of this seeding triangle is the seeding rate. Whether you are seeding canola, corn, soybeans or canola you need to make sure that you are seeding at a rate that allows you to get the proper emergence. As Derwyn Hammond, Canola Council of… Read more »
Wheat School: Identifying Growth Stage 31
No matter what crop you are growing, knowing the growth stage of the planst is integral to making the right decisions. Are you spraying herbicides or fungicides or applying growth regulators? Well timing is critical nd all of that timing is derived by the stage of the crop. Depending on where you farm in Canada… Read more »
Wheat School: Testing Durum for Pasta Quality at CIGI
Durum is a crop that many Canadian wheat growers identify with and take pride in. Canada is a major global supplier of high quality durum to the marketplace. Many times we focus on the production and marketing of durum but not what happens at processing. I got a great opportunity while I was at CIGI… Read more »
Canola School: Don’t Seed Too Deep
Last week, we discussed seeding speed and the need to keep your seeder at an adequate speed to achieve desired productivity but not lose the accuracy required to get the proper plant emergence and stand. In terms of seeding depth a rule that I was taught long ago is that the smaller the seed, the… Read more »
Canola School: Dealing with Market Access Issues for Canadian Canola
At the recent Canada Grains council meeting a listened to a full day of discussions around Canada’s market access issues across all the main crop types. The recent market access issues with canola are well documented and continue to challenge the countries trade attempts. With 85-95% of Canada’s canola crop getting exported, trade is very… Read more »
Canola School: Why Seeding Speed is Important
Seeding equipment continues to get larger and larger which allows for more acres to be covered in a day. Even with the larger equipment some farmers still find it hard to control the speed of the tractor just so they can say that they covered so many acres in a day. Everyone needs to remember… Read more »