We all know that pulling a roller behind the tractor in wet conditions is akin to rolling dough without flour, with one key difference: you likely never have to park your embarrassing, dough-covered rolling pin beside the highway for all to see. Conversely, in dry conditions, a roller can actually pulverize the soil, increasing the… Read More
Category: Pulses
Seeding and planting across Canada has not got off to a leaping start in 2013. In the prairies it was snowing as late as yesterday while Ontario growers have been fighting their own version of poor spring planting conditions. See this weeks US pictures of #plant13 It seems to that kind of year when you can go… Read More
Canola volunteers can be tricky to control in the most “average” of years. But we all remember last year when 100km/h winds came and blew around canola, leaving bushels laying in fields, ready to germinate this spring. But just how much canola is in one of your fields? Here is some math to get an… Read More
We should all steal a page from Pulse Canada’s inventive approach to market expansions. The organization’s new Meal Planning for 9 Billion People video campaign pushes just about every button imaginable. First, the positioning. It sounds elementary, but feeding the world with meals as Pulse Canada suggests rather than simple saying “food” is brilliant. It… Read More
Each seed treatment product protects against a specific list of diseases or insects, but it’s the overall impact of early season protection on stand establishment that has much more far-reaching impacts than simply avoiding disease infection. In this Pulse School episode, Wes Anderson, agronomy manager for Richardson Pioneer, does outline which seed treatments will protect… Read More
Pulses are well-known for their nitrogen-fixing capacity but not for their competitiveness. Weed pressure can really knock back yield, a situation made worse by a thin stand or early-season disease. Two key seeding management strategies for pulses are seeding rates based on an optimal plant stand count and disease control planning. Achieving the best established… Read More
Sliding pulses into rotation is a great way to bump up your crop rotation benefits, adds marketing and cash flow options and also adds nitrogen credits for subsequent crops. All that being said, the delivery of that added N is only possible if pulse seed is properly inoculated ahead of going in the ground or… Read More
Let’s just call 2013 the year of the soybean in Western Canada and be done with it, OK? It would seem each of the Prairie Provinces has fallen in love with the crop and, if the spring weather permits, there will be a large increase in acres this year. But should there be? There are… Read More
As farmers scratch out last minute changes to seeding plans, economic factors always weigh in. Pulses, like red and green lentils or peas, all have the advantage of nitrogen fixation, making them an attractive crop rotation choice. But pulses are also smaller acreage crops and the marketing dynamics of each crop type can cause some… 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
Western Canada is the leader in pulse production but there is some discussion regarding the potential of the Black Sea region to put a dent in Canadian exports. This week I was on the Saskatchewan Pulse Growers Regional meeting tour and I heard a very interesting presentation from Marlene Boersch, Mercantile Consulting Venture on the… 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
The Canadian pulse industry can be proud of what it has accomplished in a relatively short time. From a tiny slice of the acres, to a set crop in many farmers’ rotation, pulses are a made-in-Canada success story. SEE MORE PULSE SCHOOL EPISODES Pulse growers have enjoyed steady growth of their industry and international markets… 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
Western Canadian farmers growing field pea and dry beans have a new option for control of broadleaf and grassy weeds in Viper ADV. A liquid product with two modes of action, Viper ADV can help farmers with their fungicide resistance management plan without severely restricting re-cropping options. Lyndsey Smith spoke with Glen Forster, technical development… Read More