It’s mid-July and that means the canola is blooming! It also means you’re trying to sneak in some down-time at the local fair or at the cabin. And that’s a fantastic plan, says Angela Brackenreed, agronomist with the Canola Council of Canada, but before you go, there are a few things to scout for in… Read More
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There seems to be a stigma around exercise in many rural communities: if you’re working hard, you won’t need to run (making those who do actually appear lazy). Perhaps it’s a belief stemming from our ancestry. Farmers worked the land on the end of a rough plough, threshed and stooked with little help from machines… Read More
It seems whenever a new disease or pest rears its head, the old wives tales and myths follow closely on its heels. Take, for example, the advent of clubroot being found in Alberta about 10 years ago. Never fear, said many in the more eastern parts of the prairies, our high pH western Canadian soils… Read More
Having trouble deciding whether or not to spray for soybean aphids? Well, you’re in luck: there’s an app for that! In this episode of Soybean School, Tracey Baute, emtomologist with Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, introduces The Aphid Advisor App, which uses pest and beneficial insect data collected by the user, in addition… Read More
Manitoba has the not-so-great distinction of being the fusarium hot spot of the Canadian Prairies. This year, ample moisture and recent heat have combined to create a high-humidity soup pot of fusarium head blight growth and spread. Farmers in other provinces need to be on the look out as well, as the disease spreads west…. Read More
Fusarium head blight, or tombstone blight, is slowly moving west, and growers in regions not traditionally accustomed to fusarium are beginning to see premature bleaching/blighting of wheat heads and shriveled seeds caused by the pathogen. Fusarium doesn’t just affect the grade and yield of a wheat field, it may also contaminate wheat kernels with mycotoxins… Read More
Applying fungicides to pulses early is crucial, particularly with polycyclic diseases which can spread through the canopy quickly. Downy mildew is one of these polycyclic diseases, but it’s trickier than most to control due to a few factors, says Kan-Fa Chang, research scientist with Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development. Chang says limited fungicide options makes in-crop… Read More
Here’s a little tidbit for you: if you’re scouting canola at the 2- to 4-leaf stage and spot blackleg lesions it’s already likely too late to spray. What’s more, a fungicide application later in the season is also likely a waste of money and time, even if symptoms are severe, because the yield loss has… Read More
With many growers across Western Canada experiencing a later than normal spring, seeding has been delayed for some. Once you being to get into the middle part of May and beyond, there is an increased likelihood of running into a fall frost. Here are some tips to help shorten the season as much as you… Read More
You may have heard once or twice the terms “C3” or “C4” plants. Generally speaking, most of our crops and plants in Western Canada are C3. C3 plants are usually what you see growing in our fields, including wheat, canola, lentils, peas and barley. These plants are known as cool season crops and will yield… Read More
I’ve spent quite a bit of time in harvested canola fields this fall. It might be because canola started coming off in late August or that there were so many acres this year that almost every second field is canola stubble, but whatever the reason, I’ve noticed most fields have a few things in common…. Read More
It’s the beginning of October and it has been dry, dry, dry for many parts of the Prairies. Winter wheat is struggling to germinate and there have been several devastating grass fires over the last month in Alberta and Manitoba. While there have been frosts, above normal daytime temps even just a week ago set… Read More
Blackleg, a fungal disease of canola, is getting away with murder. That’s right, murder. This fall, dead, brittle canola plants at swathing or harvest are being attributed, sometimes very wrongly, to sclerotinia infection when, in fact, blackleg is to blame. It’s likely been happening for years, Clint Jurke, agronomy specialist with the Canola Council of… Read More
For whatever reason, there are a few agronomy topics that never seem to fully get sorted out — seeding by thousand kernel weight, the right time to spray for wheat midge and what the difference between ESN and Agrotain is, for example. Let’s tackle the last on the list. Here’s a quick reminder of what… Read More
Have you ever heard the saying that information is power? Having information at your fingertips when you ned to make very important business decisions is critical to the success of your farm or ag-business. With the increase in crop protection product skews and the introduction of generics into the marketplace, it is more challenging than… Read More