As peas and fababeans emerge, at least one potentially devastating pest already has made an appearance — the pea leaf weevil. In this Pulse School episode, we talk about how to deal with the weevils if you are seeing them now, economic thresholds for control, and how to avoid them in the future. Pulse research… Read more »
Category: Crop Production
Livestock centre of excellence receives $4.5 million from federal gov’t
The federal government has announced another $4.47 million in funding for the Livestock and Forage Centre of Excellence being built near Saskatoon. David Lametti, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, announced the funding on Friday at the University of Saskatchewan. Originally announced in 2015, the centre will have its physical… Read more »
More rain means more soybeans for Ontario
Ontario corn planting isn’t finished, but it’s probably done. With more rain sweeping across the province – and pushing total spring accumulation to record levels in many areas – it’s unlikely that farmers will be planting corn when things dry out, says Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) corn lead Ben Rosser…. Read more »
Wheat Pete’s Word, May 24: Insect alerts, head snag, and delayed corn strategies
As corn planting moves along in Ontario, the list of issues to deal with in the field is also progressing, as RealAg agronomist Peter Johnson has a pair of insect alerts on this week’s Word. Unfortunately there’s also been some frost in parts of the country, and Wheat Pete walks us through how to assess the… Read more »
The 10 most troublesome weeds in broadleaf crops
After surveying nearly 200 weed scientists across Canada and the U.S., the Weed Science Society of America published its top ten list of “most troublesome” weeds in broadleaf crops this week. Fortunately, the most troublesome weed has not been found in Canada (yet), but there are certainly some familiar foes on this list. (Maybe there’s… Read more »
Should ‘vertical’ factory farms get a free pass?
In a recent Fast Company magazine article there was a feature on the benefits of using technology to produce food. The article praised the efficiency gains made by implementing the latest in what technology could provide. The farm in the article is located in San Francisco. That’s right, it’s a vertical farm. The company’s name… Read more »
TechTour: Extra sets of eyes on machinery improve efficiency
For farmers with plenty of help, it’s the eyes and ears of others around the farm that help with spotting, moving, or monitoring equipment. For farmers like Jim Hale, from Lancer, Sask., cameras installed on some of his machinery have replaced some of that help. A cereal, pulse, and oilseed farmer, Hale runs his farm operation on his… Read more »
Soybean School: Planting on corn rows costs money
It pays to steer clear of those corn rows when planting soybeans. In this episode of RealAgriculture Soybean School, Syngenta agronomist Eric Richter explains that planting directly on, or too close to, last year’s corn row produces seed mortality rates between 50% to 80%. He notes that it really doesn’t matter whether growers are pulling… Read more »
Soybean School: Should you plant now and spray later?
With fields drying out and warming up soybean planting is moving full steam ahead in Ontario. In many cases the spring conditions are dictating that farmers take a ‘plant now, spray later’ approach. It’s an obvious choice, but the challenge for many is how to manage fast-growing, large weeds that can quickly take a bite out… Read more »
Wheat Pete’s Word, May 17: Western Canada leads #plant17, leaf burn woes, and crusting corn
Cork-screw corn, good-looking western spring crops, heat unit discrepancies — it’s been a wild week of major seeding progress in Western Canada, while much of Ontario’s planting progress has been hamstrung with extremely cold and wet weather. Some Ontario farmers, including Wheat Pete’s Word host Peter Johnson, are on to plan C for field prep as rain… Read more »
We can thank technology for 24% of the U.S. corn crop being planted in one week
Have you ever looked across the road at the neighbour and thought, “Man, he has a lot of equipment for the acres he farms!” I think that conversation must be happening more than we think because the USDA has reported that corn planting is 71% complete in the U.S. That’s 1% ahead of the long-term… Read more »
Alberta Wheat Commission launches wheat yield challenge
The Alberta Wheat Commission (AWC) wants you to “Be The Wheat Champion” in its new contest. AWC launched the contest so farmers can have some fun in trying to become the “most productive wheat grower” in Alberta. Entry to the contest is free, and Brian Kennedy, grower relations with AWC, says that the inspiration for this came… Read more »
Alberta Wheat Commission launches consumer marketing campaign
The Alberta Wheat Commission (AWC) has launched a new consumer-focused marketing strategy, titled “Life’s Simple Ingredients.” The main goal of this project is to help consumers understand where their food comes from, and to shed a positive light on wheat so they can feel good about what they are eating. Victoria Russell, interim communications manager for… Read more »
How wet weather impacts profitability of corn versus soybeans
By Sean Mitchell and Dr. Alfons Weersink Wet, cool weather is raising concerns about planting delays in Ontario. With these concerns comes the possibility that, when planting resumes, producers will opt to plant soybeans in lieu of what previously would have been corn. This is due to a combination of relatively attractive soybean prices, a looming… Read more »
One-pass applications save time in a late spring
When unfavourable soil conditions arise, many growers look to one-pass applications to save time. One-pass seeding, however, isn’t just for when conditions are poor. In fact, a one-pass system can work for different soil conditions and areas, even when conditions are favourable. Ray Dowbenko, senior specialist of agronomy with Agrium, says that putting your seed and… Read more »