As temperatures warm, fields across the west are starting to see flea beetle emergence, and cotyledon defoliation. And that has producers wondering about when to take action. “There’s been some discussion about different threshold levels,” says Errin Willenborg, agronomist with Federated Co-op Ltd. The discussion stems from confusion around two listed thresholds — the 25… Read More
Corn is moving into new territory — mainly west and north — but the agronomic information farmers in these new areas rely on is still largely based on data from places such as Illinois and Iowa. This has provided a basis for new corn farmers to get started, but there are a lot of differences… Read More
There’s a new research project underway and a soil scientist from the University of Manitoba is taking the lead on the team. Dr. Mario Tenuta will be guiding a team of Canadian researchers to determine best practises on how to apply nitrogen fertilizer in corn crops in ways that not only increase yields and economic benefit… Read More
If you live in the west, chances are you’ve either tried or thought about adding soybeans into your rotation. With seeding just around the corner, Kristen MacMillan, research agronomist with the University of Manitoba, spoke to farmers at this year’s Crop Connect conference held at Winnipeg, Man. Included in her talk were two main topics: one, … Read More
Welcome to Wednesday, the middle of the week or halfway through the work week since it was a long weekend — you decide. For today’s RealAg Radio show, host Shaun Haney will give you his thoughts about finding the sweet spot in family business. The News with (Jessika) Guse is back along with Lyndsey Smith. The… Read More
Dr. Martin Scanlon has been appointed to a five-year term as dean of the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences at the University of Manitoba effective January 1, 2019. Scanlon is no stranger to the U of M, having been a professor in the Department of Food and Human Nutritional Sciences. One of his priorities will… Read More
Highly competitive crops that make it difficult for weeds to gain a foothold in fields play a key role in effective herbicide resistance management. One way to make your crop more competitive is to increase seeding rates to produce higher plant populations. In this episode of RealAgriculture’s Resistance Management School, University of Manitoba weed scientist… Read More
Not only do dry soil conditions hamper seed germination, they also raise the risk of fertilizer toxicity for seedlings after they germinate, especially in a sensitive crop like canola. That means rates of fertilizer placed at seeding last year or the year before might not be safe this year, explains Don Flaten, soil scientist at… Read More
You may notice some new information on canola seed bags this year — a label that lists what type of blackleg resistance the variety contains. We’ll spare you all the quirky names and numbers for the actual genetic resistance, but Dilantha Fernando, with the University of Manitoba, says farmers can use the alphabetical designation of… Read More
How confident are you in your selected nitrogen (N) rate for wheat? Do you adjust that number based on yield potential? Variety? Soil type? How much N is enough to reach maximum potential? You might be surprised to learn that existing nitrogen rate recommendations are based off of older research, with older varieties, and without… Read More
The combination of increased soybean acres and high soybean aphid pressure on the prairies in 2017 has sparked conversations about thresholds, beneficial insects, and how to decide when spraying is warranted. The economic threshold for soybean aphids in Canada has traditionally been 250 aphids per plant on 80 percent of plants, with the population still… Read More
Most of the yellow patches in soybean fields in Western Canada and the northern U.S. have disappeared as the plants have recovered, or turned necrotic and died, but one of the big questions heading into harvest is: what toll did widespread issues with iron deficiency chlorosis (IDC) earlier in the season take on yields? The… Read More
If farmers are going to pay a tax on carbon emissions, they should also receive credit for the carbon their farms remove from the atmosphere. Many in the farm community are trying to make that case, as the federal and provincial governments roll out pricing systems that appear to lean on the cost side of the… Read More
The struggle to get the crop off in wet conditions has left its scars on fields across parts of Western Canada, leaving farmers with tough decisions on how to manage ruts and soil compaction. A deep ripper or subsoiler might have a fit in helping fix the damage, says a biosystems engineering professor from the University… Read More
Mario Tenuta has been studying greenhouse gas emissions in agriculture for longer than he’s willing to admit. Never before has he seen this much interest in the topic. “We’ve always had interest in carbon sequestration and the use of nitrogen fertilizers and manures, but now where we are called to some form of action and reductions, now… Read More