As if the Western Canadian canola fields have not had enough challenges this year but now we also have to deal with the presence of the diamondback moth. The diamondback moth is really causing havoc this season in comparison to prior years. In this episode of the Canola School, I speak to University of Alberta, Associate Professor… Read More
Category: Crop Production
As we begin to look ahead to the rest of the canola growing season, many challenges continue to face the grower. This is being looked at as one of the most challenges seasons to date. Instead of looking backwards I thought that it would be fruitful to engage a discussion on the rest of the… Read More
With many farmers planting corn much earlier than they traditionally have and with warm weather the past two weeks, the corn crop crop in Ontario is looking quite promising. It actually is one of the good stories in Canadian farming this year along with most of the winter cereals across the country. Many people have… Read More
Fusarium continues to be a major concern for farmers as harvest begins in the US and parts of Ontario. Many farmers routinely apply a fungicide to their cereal crops to try and minimize the impact of fusarium. Its getting closer to the fungicide window for Western Canadian farmers and they need to really be considering… Read More
The canola crop that has emerged is quite variable in height which is causing significant challenges in trying to control unwanted weeds. This year the ideal scenarios never seem to be playing out which requires farmers to weigh all the positives and negatives to all situations. This is a year where there is give and… Read More
During this past winter there was no bigger story in Western Canada than the hysteria around lentils. Saskatchewan is the lentil king in Canada and has also received an abundance of wet weather since early April. The lentil market is known to swing in big ways up and down but seems to be holding relatively… Read More
Fusarium head blight continues to be a major concern for North American farmers. Yield loss can be high and the amount of vomotoxin infection in the grain can cause significant grade loss. Although there are wheat varieties available to minimize the impact of fusarium, the reality is there is no technology available to control it… Read More
With all the wet and soggy weather that Western Canada has had this spring some things have become a reality that in normal years you would never consider. One of these things is the consideration being given to actually taking your volunteer canola crop to harvest. Some farmers in areas of Saskatchewan have been unable… Read More
It seems that the amount of pests that can have a negative impact on our wheat fields is never ending. In this weeks episode of the Wheat School we are going to discuss army worms. Army worms can cause significant yield loss in a wheat crop and also impact neighboring crops like corn or canola… Read More
In the United States grain carts have been very popular for quite some time. In Canada they are really catching on and becoming more common. As explained to me by Shawn Berry, Territory Manager, Unverferth, the grain cart provides increased productivity to the farm because the combine never stops to unload the hopper. Unloading on… Read More
With seeding being so late this year in the west a person must begin to think about the ramifications if we ever make it to harvest. This week at the Regina Farm Progress Show I talked to Dale Willamson, Manager of Supply, Logistics and DDG’s at Terra Grain Fuels about what they are hearing from… Read More
In this episode of the Canola School, Troy Prosofsky discusses the impact that the flea beetle is having on the Western Canadian canola crop. Troy also talks about the evaluation of flea beetle damage and when or when not to spray to control the pest. Flea Beetles can be terrible pests and if the damage… Read More
Spring has been a nightmare and the toll it has taking on farmers in Western Canada is huge. With a speculated 10 million acres being left unseeded, many farmers are wondering what they should be doing with their bare land. Many people are talking about winter wheat to try and get some cover for winter… Read More
Earlier this week I published an interview with David Sippell the President of CSTA regarding Bill C-474. Some people emailed me with positive and negative responses to the bill. I decided to find out more by interviewing the man that has initiated this private members bill. This also answers criticism from some of you that… Read More
Whether you farm in Ontario or the west it is time to start thinking about spraying your winter wheat with fungicide to protect it from leaf diseases like septoria or powdery mildew. When spraying fungicides there are many considerations that need to be taken into account. Nozzle selection, nozzle position, water volume, and sprayer boom… Read More