The most important pass a farmer makes every year is the one with the seeder. There’s no way to add yield or plants if you make a big mistake on that first pass — no amount of fungicide, herbicide or specialty product is going to come to the rescue. But seeding conditions in Western Canada… Read More
Ah, early spring — the days are getting longer, the snow is starting to melt ever so slightly, and farmers are dusting off the machinery in hopes of an early seeding season. While many are fine-tuning their crop rotations and acreage counts, the savvy farmer is also pouring over seed test results and using the… Read More
It’s one thing to know that you should be scouting for blackleg, sclerotinia, sulphur deficiency and cutworms, for example. It’s another thing entirely to actually scout every field for every pest at the optimal timing during the hectic growing season. What if there was a way to practice insect, disease and nutrient deficiency identification when… Read More
Peter Johnson, wheat specialist with Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, made quite the splash at Farm Tech last week. A regular in RealAgricutlure.com’s Wheat School, @WheatPete (as he’s known on Twitter) has very set views on maximizing wheat production, and he’s not afraid to tell a farmer, point blank, what that farmer… Read More
Results of a germination test are a must-have before heading to the field in the spring, but what about a vigour test? When should you order one and why? Holly Gelech, business development manager with Biovision Seed Labs, walks us through the major differences between the two tests, and how vigour tests may differ between… Read More
There are almost always new seed treatment options each year, but not every year offers significantly different products. This year, however, there are new several new offerings that offer something new or completely different than past years. It’s useful to have a handy up-to-date guide on what the real differences and new products are for… Read More
Crop Production Week 2013 always has a host of companies launching new products and this year was no exception. BASF used this year’s show to give pulse growers some help in the disease arena with its new fungicide, Priaxor DS. Priaxor DS combines the active ingredient of Headline with the brand new product Xemium. RealAgriculture’s… Read More
Time is money. When it comes to something like preinoculated seed, the convenience factor can save you valuable time and also the stress of being unsure of whether or not you properly applied your inoculant. In this video, Mike Verhoef answers some of the questions about preinoculated seed and talks about the benefits growers can… Read More
The soybeans are in the bin (or very nearly) which means it’s now time to think about…2013. Well, take a break first, but while you’re harvesting corn or otherwise winding down from a busy harvest season, there are key soybean production decisions best made between now and the end of the year. David Townsend, product… Read More
We’ve talked before about the power of inoculants in establishing a healthy plant. Hearing is one thing, but in most cases seeing is believing. Right now is a great time to get out in the field and see if that inoculant has done its job. SEE MORE SOYBEAN SCHOOL. There is no substitute for getting… Read More
We’ve talked before about the damage the pea leaf weevil can do, but the current economics of peas add a sense of urgency to producers scouting and control strategies. With pea prices being as strong as they are currently, the economic threshold for spraying for the pest is lower than it ordinarily would be. Taking… Read More
There is no silver bullet solution when it comes to fusarium. The disease is widespread and can be devastating if it’s left unchecked or handled incorrectly. When it comes to management and control of the disease, the best bet any producer has involves an integrated approach. That approach involves three key steps that together give… Read More
Any type of disease that affects the seedling stage of canola has to be taken seriously. Seedling blight can be devastating to your canola crop before or after germination. Knowing what you’re looking for and how to deal with it can put you in a position to assess your risk and take action that can… Read More
I have written before that the future is in seed treatments and fungicides for the traditional crop protection companies. The additional point that I should of included is the growth potential for the biological market in the seed treatment product area. The interesting point is that biologicals are designed to work in conjunction (stacking) with… Read More
Applying seed treatment isn’t what it used to be. Long gone are the days when someone would yell “turn up the red!” as the seed came out of the treater. There is a lot more than just a visual O.K. that goes into treating your seed properly. Over application isn’t cost effective and under applying… Read More