Corn is a plant that likes heat, but how much is too much? When you get into a situation where later planted corn is involved, that heat has to be balanced with the crops ability to access water. In less mature corn, that root structure may not be able to access. Parts of Ontario are… Read More
Category: Spraying
This episode of the Wheat School can be summarized as a bit of a fusarium clinic. Peter Johnson, Cereal Specialist with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture Food and Rural Affairs gives us a first hand look at the difference in resistance between older wheat varieties and some of the newer generations. Here we get confirmation… Read More
Lygus bugs are a pest that are not particularly picky when it comes to what they feed on. The bug has over 300 known host plants, and feeds on the sap of a plants new growth and reproductive tissue. Unfortunately, among the long list of plants they like to feed on is the canola plant…. Read More
In this episode of the Wheat School, we talk to Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada Plant Pathologist Kelly Turkington about the elevated risk of fusarium in parts of Alberta. Fusarium in Alberta is nothing new, however, weather conditions in Alberta in June and July have made the potential for infection that much greater. That abundance of… Read More
The start of the 2011 growing season was challenging to say the least. Wet weather and unseasonably cool conditions in the majority of the west had producers stressed out and wondering if they would get a crop in at all. That was the case in fact in large areas of Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Fast forward… Read More
Wet conditions over the past few years have brought the importance of fungicide back on to the producers radar. Those conditions are the final piece of the puzzle diseases like sclerotinia need to get established and cause real damage to canola. The devastating results of fungal diseases are helping producers to realize the importance of… Read More
The Cereal Leaf beetle seems to be rearing its ugly head in winter and spring wheat fields near Bolton, Stayner and Seaforth, Ontario. Tracey Baute, OMAFRA Entomologist and author of Bautebugblog.com reports threshold levels of the pest in those fields, with significant feeding seen on the flagleaf. Baute recommends spraying infested winter wheat with insecticides… Read More
Sclerotinia has the potential to be a big issue in rain soaked areas across the prairies. The disease tends to be prevalent in wet conditions in temperatures between 15 – 25 degrees. Sclerotia spores can live in the soil for up to four years. The spores germinate in the summer and release wind borne spores… Read More
Precision agriculture has some obvious benefits when it comes to efficiency and input costs. GPS mapping and technologies are becoming more and more accurate with coverage available in areas previously inaccessible. Seeding overlap is almost non -existent and placement is incredibly precise. With input costs growing and the demand for production rising, the need to… Read More
Conditions across a portion of the prairies have created a kind of “perfect storm” when it comes to conditions for weed growth. Cool conditions have delayed emergence of a number of weeds, causing them to be missed in a pre-seed burn scenario. Wet conditions have kept farmers from getting in to spray in a timely… Read More
In this episode of the Wheat School, we head to Regina to talk with Syngenta Technical Field Manager Robert Klewchuk about control strategies for wild oats. Wild oats act as scavengers in your wheat stand. They can steal valuable nutrients from your crop, affecting yields and crop development. While a pre-seed burn has been effective… Read More
Some weeds are very easy to kill at lots of different stages of growth. Some weeds must be dealt with very early in the growing process. One of these weeds is the kochia weed. It is found in many parts of the US and Canada and it can become a major headache at harvest time… Read More
With all this wet weather, disease concerns start to come into play, and protection against things like septoria, powdery mildew, and fusarium head blight become very important. As we look at providing that protection, proper application becomes critical. When spraying fungicides there are many considerations that need to be taken into account. Nozzle selection, nozzle… Read More
With June 10th coming fast and the wet ground pushing plans to the brink, many Ontario farmers are trying to decide whether they should plant soybeans or spray their post emerged corn. Depending on where you are the weeds in the corn fields are coming fast. Farmers have been educated to spray their corn at… Read More
Farmers across the eastern provinces may finally be getting a break from the extreme moisture thats been flooding parts of Quebec and delaying planting for farmers in parts of Ontario. It may be uncomfortably humid, but a welcome change from soaked homes and fields. How will the rest of the Spring shape up? What can… Read More