Every selection tool shifts the weed spectrum, and that includes farmer-controlled decisions such as tillage, crop rotation, and seeding rate. It also includes non-farmer controlled selection tools, such as wet or dry weather cycles. To unpack what we can learn from shifting weed patterns, we go to Mike Cowbrough, weed specialist with the Ontario Ministry… Read More
It’s time for agronomy hot topics on Day 4 of Ontario Diagnostic Days! The annual Ontario field crop diagnostic days held at Ridgetown, Elora, and Winchester are again virtual in 2021. Crop nutrition, weed control and planting depth and timing are the focus of this episode. We kick it off with Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food… Read More
The annual Ontario field crop diagnostic days held at Ridgetown, Elora, and Winchester will again go virtual in 2021. The organizing committees of these three highly successful in-field education and learning events are again partnering with crop researchers and extension, along with support from RealAgriculture and a host of sponsors to bring you a series… Read More
Grain growers are reporting that bluegrass is becoming a growing weedy issue in many Ontario field crops. There are three types of weedy bluegrass species that are being found: annual bluegrass, rough-stalk bluegrass, and Canada bluegrass. As Mike Cowbrough, Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs weed specialist explains in this Wheat School episode,… Read More
One of the reasons weed species can be so difficult to get ahead of is because of their ability to adapt to conditions. Herbicide labels often refer to weed size when targeting the ideal control window, but in dry conditions weeds can stay small while rapidly move towards maturity. Mike Cowbrough, weed specialist for the… Read More
From fleabane, to wild oats, to kochia and Palmer amaranth, which weed is the toughest to kill on the farm? For this episode of The Agronomists, host Lyndsey Smith is joined by Mike Cowbrough, weed specialist with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, and Tammy Jones, technical sales agronomist with Corteva AgriScience, to… Read More
It’s time for Day 3 of the virtual Ontario Diagnostic Days! This week, we’re joined by Dr. Peter Sikkema with the University of Guelph, and Mike Cowbrough, weed specialist with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. This episode focuses on weed management, specifically on glyphosate resistant Canada fleabane and waterhemp, and the… Read More
Crop researchers and agronomists are encouraging Ontario farmers to continue to follow established stewardship recommendations when using dicamba herbicides. Last week, a U.S. court decision to cancel the registration of in-crop use of dicamba herbicides left regulators, product manufacturers, herbicide applicators and farmers scrambling to understand the ramifications of the ruling and the implications for… Read More
It’s agronomic Monday, and as producers across the country begin to hit the fields, we at RealAgriculture couldn’t be more excited! On today’s episode of RealAg Radio, you’ll hear: Alana Serhan, market development specialist with PRIDE Seeds, on what impact some cooler water has on young corn plants, and what that means for corn yield… Read More
Cover crops, tillage and herbicides —they’re all tools growers can use to build an effective, integrated approach to controlling troublesome Canada fleabane. On this episode of RealAgriculture’s Soybean School, Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs weed specialist Mike Cowbrough looks at the role tillage can play in controlling the weed. He notes mounting… Read More
From microwave ovens, to X-rays, and even potato chips, many important discoveries have been stumbled upon by accident. The same may to be true when it comes to weed control and the continuing fight to control glyphosate-resistant Canada fleabane. On this episode of RealAgriculture’s Soybean School, Mike Cowbrough, Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural… Read More
On today’s Family Day/Louis Riel Day-holiday episode of the show: Edible weeds, poisonous weeds, and the ever-evolving challenge of effective extension, with Mike Cowbrough, weed specialist for field crops with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, in this episode of Agronomy Geeks. Benefits to exercising outside even through the cold, plus tips… Read More
If you’re looking for a little snack and happen to be standing in a patch of weeds, it’s entirely possible the plants at your feet are edible — maybe even tasty. If you’re looking for help on which one to eat, you might be surprised to learn that Ontario’s weed specialist can tell you not… Read More
With poor spring planting conditions across Ontario, many farmers have run out of time to get major crops in the ground and thousands of acres will remain unplanted in 2019. What should farmers do with those acres? We asked Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs weed management specialist Mike Cowbrough and RealAgriculture agronomist… Read More
Retiring alfalfa fields used to be a simple process. Conventional tillage farmers would just drop the mouldboard plow in the fall, while those under a minimum tillage system would rely on a glyphosate burndown before planting a new crop the following spring. With the introduction of glyphosate tolerant (GT) alfalfa, however, glyphosate is no longer… Read More