If there’s one thing farmers are focused on during the spray season, it’s efficiency. A spray operation must accomplish its goal of getting the right product on, but time is of the utmost importance, especially during the hectic early season or when, say, conditions for disease progression are ideal. Learn more: What’s an inversion? Tom… Read More
Category: Weed control
Earlier this month, the Canola Council of Canada rolled out its vision for the canola industry over the next decade or so. While the plan includes growth of the domestic and export markets, the plan has also sparked some discussion on tightening canola rotations. The Canola Council has shifted its canola rotation stance slightly —… Read More
Its time for episode two of the Ontario Agronomy Geeks. This weeks guests are St. Thomas farmer Peter Gredig and University of Guelph Professor and OMAFRA Weed Specialist Mike Cowbrough. The panel joins Shaun Haney to discuss corn harvest progress, corn hybrid selection, potential acre increase for IP soybeans in 2014, does lower prices mean… Read More
Perhaps you’ve seen a Case IH Tiger tillage implement hard at work in the field. After all, the series has been around since the late ’70s, and the Ecolo Tiger 875 is the eighth generation of this combination tillage implement. Each generation seeks to improve off the one before to better meet the needs of… Read More
Well, if you’ve got mad skill on the paintball course and an intense interest in ecosystems/agriculture, you’ll be intrigued to know the two have collided. Developed by Dr. James Leary of the University of Hawaii, Herbicide Ballistic Technology (I know, just when you thought it couldn’t get better), or HBT, gives sharp-shooting scientists the ability… Read More
A broad-spectrum, multi-mode of action tank-mix is one way to manage herbicide resistance. BASF Canada and Monsanto Canada have teamed up to recommend tank-mixing Roundup Transorb HC or Roundup Ultra2 herbicide with Heat or Distinct herbicide. The companies have sweetened the deal by offering a $0.50 per acre discount when farmers purchase either of the… Read More
Ah, Artemesia absinthium. If you’ve ever had the misfortune of being acquainted with absinth wormwood, you’ll likely never forget it. Many describe the plant by its appearance and odor, both likened to pasture sage. Absinth’s odor is strong, however, and in my experience, the pollen profoundly irritates the respiratory system. In fact, you can quite… Read More
If Canada thistle is a headache in an annual cropping system, it’s a migraine in perennial crops, where control strategies tend to be expensive and rumours about what works and what doesn’t spread as quickly as the weed itself. Canada thistle is not only a prolific seed producer, it also proliferates through its creeping root… Read More
It’s that time of year again, when a student’s thoughts turn to looking fashionable while still staying warm (hahahahaha, as if) and, more importantly, the students from the University of Guelph’s Crop 4240 class launch their weed identification and control videos. This is the second year that instructor Francois Tardif and lab lead Mike Cowbrough… Read More
A clean start at planting can mean a fall herbicide application, even well into October if conditions are right. Fall weed control is the equivalent of a pre-plant burn-off for winter wheat, for one, but it’s also the best time to get a hold of several weeds, including perennials like dandelion and constantly germinating Canada… Read More
Ah, Canada fleabane. This nasty weed isn’t just an issue because of confirmed glyphosate resistance — its very nature of germinating whenever the heck it feels like it means that it’s one weed that can’t be well controlled by just one or even a few control methods. Canada fleabane control and resistance management requires a… Read More
Monsanto Canada’s dicamba-plus-glyphosate-tolerant soybean system is in the works for a 2015 launch, if all goes according to plan (you can read more about that here), and, as part of the system, the company has rolled out more than just new in-the-plant herbicide tolerance. As Derek Freitag, with Monsanto Canada, explains in this interview filmed… Read More
Post-harvest spray applications are an effective way to deal with hard-to-control perennial and winter annual weeds like Canadian thistle, foxtail barley and dandelion. But, whether you’re dealing with frost, labour shortages or incredibly dry conditions, spraying in the fall can be a challenge. A dry fall can not only limit the active growth of weeds,… Read More
Fall is a great time to get effective control of some nasty perennial and many winter annual weeds. Fall weed control is especially important ahead of — or shortly after — winter wheat planting. The reality is, however, that many farmers skip this weed control window. Just like skipping a pre-plant burn-off in the spring… Read More
Bees, as pollinators, are essential to food production worldwide. So when solid evidence of a link between corn planting and bee deaths in Ontario and Quebec was found, farmers and industry recognized the need to look into how to manage the risk of bee exposure to a particular insecticide class called neonicotinoids. As Steve Denys,… Read More