Did you know it’s Soil Conservation Week? Here we are just one day after Earth Day, and in that spirit Peter Johnson kicks off this week’s crop update with a challenge for farmers. When’s the last time you sat at the kitchen table and talked about your farm’s biggest asset, the soil? Johnson says if… Read More
Category: Agronomy
Is your planter ready to roll? Corn planting season will soon be here for growers in Ontario and Western Canada. While it’s been a cool spring in Ontario, an early melt in Western Canada meant some fields were dry enough to plant several weeks ago. However, the date on the calendar and the temperature reading on the soil… Read More
Soil conditions in the heart of the soybean growing area on the eastern prairies have been dry this spring, leading to questions about planting deeper than normal to ensure the seed has access to moisture. This Soybean School West episode takes us to the middle of a windy field near Portage, Man., where Dieter Schwarz of Pride… Read More
With corn planting season around the corner, the annual routine of getting planting units ready for a new growing season is well underway. The planter setup and calibration process should account for the size of corn seed going through the planter, notes Dieter Schwarz of Pride Seeds in this latest Corn School episode. “Look at that bag of… Read More
Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz has announced the government’s commitment to “streamline and modernize” the way crop varieties are registered in Canada. These proposed changes will now enter into a consultation period ahead of the actual regulatory changes being drafted. Most major field crops grown in Canada are subject to Variety Registration, such as wheat, canola,… Read More
The pictures are rolling in and it appears that the wheat that did get in the ground last fall (or was it winter?) did actually make it. Maple syrup season has wrapped up, to mixed reviews on volume (but you can bet it still tastes great), but that also means it’s warming up — and a… Read More
Do you manage your corn crop differently, based on whether or not you’ll be using a fungicide or topped-up nitrogen rates? That may end up being a new recommendation, as research is beginning to offer clues on how each input works with the other — sometimes providing not just additive benefits, but synergistic ones (think:… Read More
How good is your weed identification? If you had to answer if a weed was a “late flushing” weed or a winter annual, could you answer? While no weed specialist expects every farmer to be a weed expert, knowing a few specific details about your enemy is actually quite helpful in the war on resistance…. Read More
Ergot (often refered to as “Ergot of Rye”) is a disease caused by the plant fungus Claviceps pururea. It’s history with humans is rich and painful, believed to be a contributing factor in the Salem Witch Trials, and the diagnoses of “Holy Fire,” later termed “St. Anthony’s Fire.” Today, it is regarded as a highly… Read More
Soil moisture conditions across Western Canada are “in reasonably good shape” heading into the 2015 growing season, but there are areas where farmers who might not be accustomed to farming in dry conditions are preparing for a dry start to the year. As Bruce Burnett, weather and crops specialist with CWB, explains in the audio interview… Read More
Emergency use registration will now allow producers in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba to use Intego Solo (ethaboxam) for the suppression of Aphanomyces euteiches in field peas. “Pulse production in Western Canada is now under serious threat from Aphanomyces – the most devastating disease in peas worldwide, according to the American Phytopathological Society,” Graham Collier, technical services… Read More
Newspapers of late seem to be drenched with neonicotinoids, often blaming the now well-known active ingredient for declining bee populations. Related: Canola School – Bees & Beneficials – Defining Terms, Protecting Habitat and Recognizing Benefits Here in Canada, between 2013 and 2014, the beekeeping industry actually experienced some impressive growth, with increases in beekeepers, colonies, honey production… Read More
Tough conditions last fall resulted in fewer acres of wheat being planted than planned in Ontario. Some of those fields could end up defaulting back to soybeans for 2015. In this Soybean School episode, Dave Hooker, field crop agronomist and assistant professor at the University of Guelph-Ridgetown, and Bernard Tobin discuss the implications of back-to-back soybean crops, and… Read More
How far off are we from having individual nozzle shut-off and control? We’re not there yet, says Doug Prairie, with Raven, but new nozzle controls systems are improving spray precision dramatically. In this episode of TechTour, brought to you by Dow AgroSciences, Prairie sits down with Real Agriculture founder Shaun Haney to talk Raven’s new… Read More
After three decades of fairly stagnant yields in Saskatchewan and Manitoba, a renewed focus on agronomic practices with flax could unlock higher yields, says a former flax breeder who now works as a research consultant for the Flax Council of Canada. “I think that flax has been undermanaged to some degree, even with fertility,” says Paul Dribnenki in the… Read More