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
If you have weeds pop up prior to planting soybeans you can control them with a burndown herbicide application. But what happens when rain and wind conspire to prevent you from applying a burndown and you have to control weeds after planting? That’s the situation many Ontario growers are facing in 2019 as the wet… Read More
On Monday’s show, the week’s host Lyndsey Smith, takes on this Agronomy Monday with a flurry of topics, including: Mike Cowbrough, provincial weed specialist with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, talking about how to get control on larger-than-ideal weeds ahead of planting; Peter “Wheat Pete” Johnson, on winter wheat decisions, including… Read More
Can Ontario winter wheat growers mix ammonium thiosulphate (ATS) with herbicides and fungicides to address sulphur deficiency symptoms or should they apply it separately with streamer nozzles? That’s a question Mike Cowbrough and Joanna Follings wanted to answer with 2018 research plots. The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs weed specialist and cereals… Read More
There are a number of reasons why herbicides sometimes fail to control weeds. Perhaps surprisingly, one of the easier things to rule out is whether the weed is herbicide resistant. Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs weed specialist Mike Cowbrough says many universities across Canada conduct testing for herbicide resistance, but growers have… Read More
Ontario ministry of agriculture weed specialist Mike Cowbrough says it’s easy to pick on a herbicide when it doesn’t meet your weed control expectations. Unfortunately, he says, most growers don’t often have an opportunity to compare herbicide programs in their own field using check strips or unsprayed areas to test performance. But Cowbrough does have… Read More
Many agronomists talk about the importance of multiple modes of action when planning a weed control program. In this episode of RealAgriculture’s Soybean School, Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs weed specialist Mike Cowbrough shows you why. We catch up with Cowbrough as he surveys a patch of Canada fleabane that has survived… Read More
By François Tardif Many master gardeners would tell you that to maximize your vegetable yields, rows need to be oriented in a north-south manner. This is supposed to maximize light interception by the crops, which in turn maximizes photosynthesis. In contrast, east-west rows have more shading and this negatively impacts yields. Is the same true… Read More
Planting is just around the corner, and if you’re in full-on crop planning mode you’re likely curious about what’s new, what’s old, what’s repackaged, what’s the best bet for herbicides in 2018. Lucky for you, Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs weed management specialist Mike Cowbrough faces an avalanche of these questions every… Read More
If you have weeds pop up prior to planting soybeans you can control them with a burndown herbicide application. But what happens when rain and wind conspire to prevent you from applying a burndown and you have to control weeds after planting? In this episode of the Soybean School, OMAFRA weed control specialist Mike Cowbrough… Read More
In 2017, many U.S. growers struggled to manage dicamba use with increasing acres of dicamba-tolerant Xtend soybeans. The dicamba story in Ontario, however, was much different, as growers had few issues with managing the marriage of the herbicide and the new trait. In this edition of RealAgriculture Soybean School, OMAFRA weed specialist Mike Cowbrough explains… Read More
For OMAFRA weed specialist Mike Cowbrough there are three fundamentals when it comes to weed control in soybeans. The first thing growers need to remember is weeds that emerge before and with the crop have the greatest yield impact. Number two on his list is the need to keep the crop weed-free up to the… Read More
What’s the best herbicide program for food-grade, non-GMO, identity preserved soybeans? It’s a common question OMAFRA weed specialist Mike Cowbrough gets from growers and we have the answer on this edition of RealAgriculture Soybean School. Cowbrough says there’s no magical herbicide that can handle all the challenges food-grade soybeans face during the growing season. But… Read More
Cereal variety trials typically give researchers great insight into yield, disease tolerance, standability and a host of management considerations to help growers pick the right variety for their fields. In this year’s Ontario Spring Cereal Performance Trials, researchers are also getting a good look at the impact herbicide choices can have on cereals. In this… Read More