As canola fields start to turn yellow, It may feel like it’s a long time away, but weknow all too well, harvest comes very quickly. And with harvest, comes harvest loss management. After a season full of nurturing crops to get the best possible outcome, we don’t always realize how much of the final product… Read more »
Category: Canola
Episode 3: The Straight Cutting Experience from BASF
Take control back at harvest. Despite being new to straight cutting, Mark and Matt Ferguson have already seen a lot of progress. After trying the practice with a shatter-resistant variety on a small number of acres, they gained the confidence to expand to a larger number of acres. Find out how the Ferguson’s use straight… Read more »
Canola School: Sweep net monitoring for aster leafhoppers
Aster yellows is a ‘phytoplasma’ disease carried by aster leafhoppers. It’s known for the odd-shaped canola pods it causes later in the growing season. Problems with aster yellows are hit and miss, depending on your area and the year. “We are kind of waiting for the next leafhopper infestation with aster yellows, the next big… Read more »
Canola School: The trouble with flea beetles…
Less than ideal conditions have slowed down canola development and left the crop vulnerable to tiny 2.5 millimetre beetles in some areas this spring. Flea beetles are the number one pest in canola on the Western Canadian Prairies. In this Canola School episode, we talk with Tyler Wist, entomologist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in Saskatoon, about how… Read more »
Syngenta exiting canola seed business
Four and a half years after unveiling its first canola variety in Canada, Syngenta has decided to change its course and leave the canola seed business in Canada. The company confirmed the decision in a statement shared with Real Agriculture: “We regularly evaluate all aspects of our business. As part of these activities, we have recently taken the decision to… Read more »
Episode 2: The Straight Cutting Experience from BASF
Five steps. Unlimited opportunities. Straight cutting has been a part of Kris and Bernie Klammer’s operation since the 80’s. And it’s clear why. After seeing success over several years, they decided to straight cut 100% of their acres in 2016 and plan to do the same in 2017. Hear their valuable advice on fertility, pre-harvest… 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 »
Canola School: Options for seeding canola in wet conditions
For some farmers in some southern parts of Western Canada, seeding is starting to wrap up. But others are still have the challenge of getting last year’s crop off, all while trying to get this year’s crop in the ground. In this Canola School episode, we talk to Brittany Hennig, agronomy specialist for the Canola Council of… Read more »
BASF presents: The Straight Cutting Experience
Listen as canola growers and industry experts from across Western Canada discuss their straight cutting experiences and tips in this five-part podcast series presented by BASF. You won’t want to miss it. In episode 1 we’ll hear from Lee Erikson of Alberta. Since taking a stab at straight cutting almost 30 years ago, Lee was… Read more »
Record Colony Numbers, Neonics, & the Single Largest Threat to Bees
Contrary to what some headlines and marketing campaigns would lead us to believe, honey bee numbers in Canada are at record highs and trending higher. At the end of 2016, there were a record 750 thousand colonies in the country, according to Statistics Canada. “The state of the bee industry is quite strong right now,”… Read more »
Corn School: Knowing vs Hoping — Randy Dowdy’s Principles for Growing Record Yields
There are many aspects of farming that are beyond a farmer’s control (weather, markets…), but there are also variables that can be managed better than they have been in the past, according to the Georgia farmer who has set world corn and soybean yield records. “We make big yields and we blame the weather. We make… Read more »
Wheat Pete’s Word,March 15: Early Cereal Seeding, Clover Choices, and Too-Early Nitrogen
It may not be the Great One, but this sure is the number 99 episode of Wheat Pete’s Word. To celebrate, your host Peter Johnson answers your questions from the week that was, and there are some great ones. From how early is too early for wheat in Western Canada, to why canola is a… Read more »
The Canola Acre Cage Match: Liberty Link vs Roundup Ready vs Clearfield
In Western Canada, we have few acre battles that get much attention, but one that intrigues our editorial staff every year is the battle of the canola herbicide tolerance trait race. It really is a three-way cage match that has swings in advantage every year. All three systems have unique characteristics, strengths, and weaknesses. So here… Read more »
The Making of the Canola Pod Shatter Reduction Trait
Developing a new crop trait requires capital, time, and most of all a vision. All great new traits start with an idea or vision of trying to make a difference in the marketplace for farmers or end users. Dr. Bart Lambert and his colleagues had a vision, a canola seed trait that allows for producers… Read more »
New Canola Midge Pest Confirmed in Saskatchewan and Alberta
Researchers with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and the University of Guelph say they’ve found a new midge species causing damage to canola in northeastern Saskatchewan and east-central Alberta. This new species is similar to the swede midge, and belongs to the same Contarinia genus, but has yet to be named and scientifically described, according to a… Read more »