Soil acidity is an issue that’s gaining attention in the Northern Plains, especially in areas where no-till practices have been paired with high surface-applied nitrogen rates. “They’re seeing this advancing a lot faster in parts of North Dakota and Montana, under traditional zero till conditions where they broadcast urea fertilizer. They find they’re acidifying the… Read More
Tag: Manitoba Agriculture
Nitrogen can’t have all the fun — sometimes we need to bring in the lesser-knowns of the NPKS party. For this episode of The Agronomists, we dive in to the world of sulphur: why crops need it, why farmers have to add it, and how to diagnose and correct a deficiency. Our experts are Colin… Read More
Manitoba Agriculture’s farm management extension team has developed a tool to help farmers determine how efficient they are with fertilizer, from both an economic and environmental perspective. Agriculture Minister Derek Johnson officially launched the fertilizer efficiency calculator tool at Manitoba Ag Days in Brandon. The calculator takes into account soil test results, fertilizer prices, product… Read More
Thanks for tuning in to this Wednesday edition of RealAg Radio. Guest host Kelvin Heppner is joined at Manitoba Ag Days by: Chris Vervaet, with Canadian Oilseed Processors Association, with an update on new canola crush capacity; Kristen Phillips, general manager of Ag Days, on the return of Canada’s largest indoor farm show for the… Read More
The final tally hasn’t been published yet, but 2022 will go down as the new record high year for soybean yields in Western Canada, mainly southern Manitoba. Statistics Canada’s latest provincial estimate came in at 43 bushels/acre, up from 27 bu/ac in 2021 (see graph below), but Dennis Lange, Manitoba Agriculture’s pulse specialist, says he… Read More
The Manitoba government has announced a temporary reduction to the rental rates for agricultural Crown lands in the province, citing adverse weather conditions that have reduced the productivity and capacity of these leased forage acres. “Stakeholders have told us that rental rates on forage lands are challenging with the hardships they are experiencing following the… Read More
From a crop nutrition perspective, nitrogen losses as N2O or nitrous oxide pale in comparison to what’s lost in N2 form, but N2O has a much greater impact on the total greenhouse gas emissions from fertilizer. As part of this Wheat School episode filmed at Manitoba Crop Diagnostic School, Manitoba Agriculture’s John Heard shares a… Read More
Water hardness is a factor that needs to be considered when spraying, especially when it comes to glyphosate. The high amount of dissolved calcium and magnesium in hard water will tie up weak acid salts such as glyphosate, making it ineffective at killing weeds, and potentially increasing the risk of weeds developing herbicide resistance, explains Kim… Read More
Grasshoppers are usually associated with dry conditions and go hand-in-hand with drought. And yet, grasshoppers are once again showing up in high numbers and causing crop damage in areas of the Eastern Prairies where there’s been flooding, and more than enough rain and soil moisture for the first half of the growing season. Why is… Read More
Research shows plant growth regulators (PGRs) are most effective — and least likely to cause damage — when they’re applied with precise timing, and that stage can pass quickly as a cereal crop develops. There are three questions to answer before applying a PGR, explains Anne Kirk, cereal specialist with Manitoba Agriculture, in this video… Read More
Nearly 700 thousand acres are still unseeded in Manitoba, according to the provincial agriculture department. In its June 28 crop report, Manitoba Agriculture says more than 150 thousand acres were planted after the final crop insurance seeding deadline on June 20, when it was estimated there were over 880 thousand acres still unplanted due to… Read More
On this episode of The Agronomists we’ve brought in two guests who know all there is to know about the pesky pests that seem to inevitably find their way into your crops. We are talking about the infamous wireworm, flea beetles that can wreak havoc on canola crops, and cutworms that, let’s face it, are… Read More
Can you tell an armyworm from a hover fly larva? What about a helpful pirate bug from a lygus? The trouble with insect identification is that it’s actually incredibly difficult, especially when you’re looking for adults but find nymphs, or are nervous about a pest species and a look-alike pops up. John Gavolski, entomologist with… Read More
When you think insects and drought…it can be a tricky combination. After the drought across the Prairies in 2021, there are many farmers asking the question: what are grasshopper populations going to look like in 2022? Parts of Manitoba have fortunately experienced large amounts of snowfall this winter, enough that the ditches could be underwater… Read More
There’s a certain number of acres that switch from one crop to another every spring, but #plant22 could be unlike any other, given the global uncertainty, sky-high crop prices, input supply chain disruptions, and pricey fertilizer. A last minute cropping change requires a bit of homework, however. To tackle what’s at issue, we go to… Read More