It’s that time of year where we transition from killing weeds to protecting our crops from diseases. Growing conditions across much of Western Canada have been good, with adequate moisture (to too much moisture!) and warm temperatures; this is excellent for the crops, but also creates a conducive environment for diseases to thrive. Scouting: As… Read More
Top-dressing nitrogen (N) is on the rise across Western Canada for a number of reasons. Farmers are constantly trying to attain higher yields, and applying N after the crop has emerged allows a farmer to put down what he couldn’t with his seeder and manipulate yield or protein (in cereals) accordingly. It is also used… Read More
Oftentimes after seeding is finished there is a push to move right into herbicide mode, but you should be getting into the habit of checking out plant stands as soon as possible. How a crop emerges and establishes tells the story of seeder settings, soil management or early insect pressure, so it is a great… 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
Canola volunteers can be tricky to control in the most “average” of years. But we all remember last year when 100km/h winds came and blew around canola, leaving bushels laying in fields, ready to germinate this spring. But just how much canola is in one of your fields? Here is some math to get an… 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
Flea beetles, those tiny, hungry pests, feed on seedling leaf tissue in your canola fields almost every season. Their feeding on young canola plants causes the most economic damage. Understanding the pest and its lifecycle can help determine when control may be necessary, even if you’ve used a seed treatment. The two dominant species of… Read More
Wireworms have been on the rise in many areas of the prairies, due in part to the banning effective insecticides, such as Lindane, years ago. Unlike several other pests, wireworms have a very long lifecycle —spending three to five years as seed-eating worms. There are about 30 species of the pest that are of economic… Read More
In part one of this cereal seeding piece, I discussed a few important things to keep in mind before letting the drills hit the dirt. It included the importance of starting with quality seed that has been tested and applying a registered seed treatment along with a properly done thousand kernel weight assessment to target… Read More
The most important pass a farmer makes every year is the one with the seeder. There’s no way to add yield or plants if you make a big mistake on that first pass — no amount of fungicide, herbicide or specialty product is going to come to the rescue. But seeding conditions in Western Canada… Read More
A shot of glyphosate post-harvest and just before winter is the ideal way to gain control of perennials and winter annuals. Controlling them in the fall is effective because perennial weeds, such as Canada thistle and dandelions, are beginning to shut down for winter and are actively trans-locating sugars from the leaves to the roots to… Read More
Lentils are the main crop that will get hit with Reglone (diquat) and I will touch on them first. Ideally the staging is so that the lowest third of the plant pods are rattling and the seed itself is hard and doesn’t split; the middle third of the plant will be hard and not juicy,… Read More
The in-crop spraying season is just around the corner for a number of growers in Western Canada. Spraying at the proper time allows your crop to use nutrients and moisture without having to compete against various weeds, as well as allows your crop to metabolize herbicides more readily. What I want to focus on now… Read More