Category: Wheat School

This episode of the Wheat School can be summarized as a bit of a fusarium clinic. Peter Johnson, Cereal Specialist with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture Food and Rural Affairs gives us a first hand look at the difference in resistance between older wheat varieties and some of the newer generations. Here we get confirmation… Read More

In this episode of the Wheat School, we talk to Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada Plant Pathologist Kelly Turkington about the elevated risk of fusarium in parts of Alberta. Fusarium in Alberta is nothing new, however, weather conditions in Alberta in June and July have made the potential for infection that much greater. That abundance of… Read More

Studies are underway to help winter wheat producers to improve production in a number of areas and to help expand the amount of acres being grown by farmers across the west. The two year study by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and the Alberta Winter Wheat Producers Commission will look at a number of factors that… Read More

Stripe rust is one of those diseases that has been around for a while, but hasn’t really been that much of a threat. A few new developments with regards to the disease may have changed that. Firstly, resistance to stripe rust in one variety of winter wheat was found to be ineffective. Second, the disease… Read More

Is there a yield ceiling on wheat? In this episode of the Wheat School we put that question to Phil Needham of Needham Ag Technologies. The answer to that question is not as simple as a blanket yes or no. With every field and every farmer being different, that question is best answered by the… Read More

The Cereal Leaf beetle seems to be rearing its ugly head in winter and spring wheat fields near Bolton, Stayner and Seaforth, Ontario. Tracey Baute, OMAFRA Entomologist and author of Bautebugblog.com reports threshold levels of the pest in those fields, with significant feeding seen on the flagleaf. Baute recommends spraying infested winter wheat with insecticides… Read More

In this episode of the Wheat School, we head to Regina to talk with Syngenta Technical Field Manager Robert Klewchuk about control strategies for wild oats. Wild oats act as scavengers in your wheat stand. They can steal valuable nutrients from your crop, affecting yields and crop development. While a pre-seed burn has been effective… Read More

Some weeds are very easy to kill at lots of different stages of growth. Some weeds must be dealt with very early in the growing process. One of these weeds is the kochia weed.  It is found in many parts of the US and Canada and it can become a major headache at harvest time… Read More

With all this wet weather, disease concerns start to come into play, and protection against things like septoria, powdery mildew, and fusarium head blight become very important. As we look at providing that protection, proper application becomes critical. When spraying fungicides there are many considerations that need to be taken into account. Nozzle selection, nozzle… Read More

Getting out into your wheat field on a regular basis is a necessity if you really want to give your crop the best chance possible. A regular visual inspection is a great start, but having a knowledge of what’s going on beneath the surface can help you to prevent big losses or get you to… Read More