It’s been 20 years since soybean aphids were first reported in Ontario soybean fields. Over the years, growers and researchers have learned that no two years seem to be the same and populations of the yield-robbing pests vary from year-to-year. There has, however, been significant changes to aphid behaviour over the years and this evolution… Read More
Category: Pests
Canola has the toughest start of any crop in Western Canada, if only because it’s the preferred food of striped and crucifer flea beetles that lie in wait for the first sign of green each spring. Flea beetle pressure has become so heavy that seed treatments and a foliar spray can, at times, not be… Read More
Insect pests can make or break a season. There are many factors that contribute to pest population levels and that complicates the possible control decisions, from what chemicals can be used and if levels require it. Dr. James Tansey, entomologist for the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture, says that there are several possible pests to look… Read More
Although insecticide products containing lambda-cyhalothrin, such as Matador and Silencer, are registered and will be available for sale in Ontario for the 2023 growing season, some producer groups are cautioning against use of the products due to possible end-use trouble. The updated label for April 2023 removes feed crops as an approved application, but as… Read More
An international panel convened by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has concluded that most parts of Prince Edward Island outside of what were deemed “Regulated Fields” should be considered free of potato wart (S. Endobioticum). The International Advisory Panel (IAP) on Potato Wart was set up by the CFIA in 2022, as a follow-up… Read More
The advent of herbicide-resistant weeds was bad enough, but the expansion of type, area, and mode-of-action resistance has left nearly no field untouched across the all regions of Canada. What can we do and how did we get here? To tackle that question, host Lyndsey Smith is joined by Dr. Charles Geddes, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada… Read More
There’s no silver bullet when it comes to managing weeds, and managing herbicide resistant populations is even tougher. One of the best ways to get ahead of weeds is crop competition. Jim Stute, independent research agronomist, has been evaluating the role of cereal rye as a weed suppressing crop to surprising results. Recorded at the National… Read More
How can farmers adapt to changing weather and the impact it has on their farms? The ability to modify and reshape the farm to reflect a changing climate will be greatly impacted by land and soil type, location and farming practices, says Ohio State University climate researcher Dr. Aaron Wilson. He believes a key success… Read More
The Canadian agriculture system is complex and integrated from start to finish. What does that mean? It means that grain systems might include forages, manure, or livestock, and fruit and vegetable systems might send byproducts to be fed to livestock to avoid expensive tipping fees and adding to landfills and waste. Even in the vegetable… Read More
Waterhemp that’s resistant to multiple herbicide groups continues to march across Ontario, but growers still have options to control the weed. There’s also emerging proof that integrated management could help growers take the fight to the spreading yield robber, says University of Guelph weed scientist Dr. Peter Sikkema. At the Ontario Agricultural Conference earlier this… Read More
The Government of Saskatchewan has released the 2022 Saskatchewan Clubroot Distribution Map, which outlines the rural municipalities (RMs) where clubroot has been identified. Clubroot is a destructive soil-borne disease of canola first identified in Canada near Edmonton, Alberta, in 2003. Saskatchewan has been surveying and testing for clubroot for several years, and has just released… Read More
Welcome back to The Agronomists! We’re kicking off 2023 with a focus on profitability. Is top yield the driver, or is long-term thinking a better bet for profit planning? Joining host Lyndsey Smith to dig in to this topic is Chad Anderson, of Anderson Agronomy Services, and Edgar Hammermeister, Saskatchewan farmer and agrologist with Western… Read More
Farmers and agronomists across Western Canada are understandably concerned about insecticide options for pest control in 2023. Following the late November announcement of lambda-cy-containing products Silencer and Matador being pulled from retail locations, many are wondering if the remaining available products will be in short supply for the year. One of the alternative options for… Read More
A North Dakota State University (NDSU) study suggests that some kochia populations in western North Dakota likely have developed resistance to commonly used pre-plant burndown herbicides. Sold under the trade names Aim (carfentrazone) and Sharpen (saflufenacil), Group 14 herbicides are used by farmers to control kochia and other annual weeds. In the NDSU study, a… Read More
Get ready for our year-end wrap-up of The Agronomists! For this episode, host Lyndsey Smith asks the panelists from across Canada what the top weather, disease, insect, and weed challenge were for the 2022 growing season. To cover everything from flea beetles, surprising yields, and noxious weeds, our special guests are Jeremy Boychyn of Alberta… Read More