What happens in your fields during the growing season plays a critical role in determining the numbers that pop up on the combine yield monitor at harvest. One way to better understand those final yields and improve future management decisions is to utilize digital agronomy tools that are now widely available to both growers and... Read More
Category: Agronomy
Pulse crops like a warm, dry bias — something that has eluded much of the pulse growing region of Western Canada this year. Peas especially don't like wet feet, preferring instead well drained, lighter soil, along with that drier weather. For the 2019 growing season, many pulse growers saw plenty of pea crops with lots... Read More
Are you a hand-shelling corn kind of farmer, or do you like a hand-held moisture meter kind of person? We've got something for everyone in this episode of Wheat Pete's Word, including some neat devices for moisture testing, why corn is drying down faster than many thought possible, and what's up with funky-coloured wheat. In... Read More
You've worked hard and expanded the farm's land base from about 1,200 acres to 2,400. Where's your money better spent — a second combine or a grain dryer? Scott Keller, who farms at New Norway, Alta., says the economics are cut-and-dried on that topic. According to Keller —hands down — you're better off setting up... Read More
To achieve cleaner fields, identifying the right time to spray is crucial. An early herbicide application is an effective way to get ahead of tough weeds. Using a dicamba-based system like the Roundup Ready Xtend® Crop System offers the flexibility of pre- and post-emergent applications and the ability to keep fields clean longer, thanks to... Read More
Have you got your soil tests done for the year? If not, that's just fine, as late fall is actually a great time to test soil nutrient levels, says Ross McKenzie, now-retired soil scientist (from Alberta Agriculture). Without a soil test to guide the decision, farmers are choosing fertilizer rates "by guess and by golly,"... Read More
There are a few treats out there in among the tricks of this harvest season. Surprisingly, mature corn and decent soybean yields are making some farmers happy as they put the 2019 growing season to bed, but there are plenty of areas still struggling with immature and wet corn and super low soybean yields. In... Read More
If dogs can detect trace amounts of drugs in luggage, could they be trained to sniff out plant disease, too? The short answer is yes — and a research scientist headed up a project to prove it in a one-year, proof of concept study out of Alberta. Mike Harding, research scientist with Alberta Agriculture &... Read More
A slow start, high winds, and less-than-ideal harvest conditions have many farmers in the Maritimes working overtime to try to get the crop in before snow flies. "For 2019, we had again a slower start, really things didn't crank up until well into May," says Syngenta Canada's Eric Richter, in this excerpt from RealAg Radio's... Read More
According to a recent survey, farmers are requesting changes to the two proposed models of seed royalty collection presented earlier this year by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. The Alberta Federation of Agriculture (AFA), the Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan (APAS), and the Keystone Agricultural Producers of Manitoba (KAP), have taken the past three months to... Read More