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
Category: Agronomy
Lygus bugs are known for attacking canola, alfalfa and sunflowers (you can probably blame the lygus for that gross seed), but they can also be a significant pest in fababeans — especially after their canola food source is harvested. In general, lygus bug species like to feed on the reproductive parts of plants. "Similar to... Read More
Not often do you hear of wheat outyielding corn, but that's the case in our latest episode in the 'Real' Wheat Farmers series. RealAgriculture resident agronomist Peter Johnson can barely contain himself when Arthur, Ontario farmer Shawn Schill of Shawridge Farms tells him that one 200-acre field yielded 154 bu/ac of wheat, beating the average... Read More
BASF says it has cleared all necessary approvals, including the establishment of maximum residue limits (MRLs) in all major export markets, enabling pre-harvest application of Heat LQ herbicide on wheat and barley in Western Canada. "This is something producers have been asking for for a really long time, and now that we're in a position... Read More
Winter durum wheat isn't grown in Western Canada, but the possible benefits have breeders working on developing it. As Jamie Larsen with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in Lethbridge discusses in this Wheat School episode, winter durum could perform well during dry years, and face reduced fusarium head blight (FHB) risk compared with spring durum. "We... Read More
From doggone insect issues to dream farm shops, we have some exciting things to cover on this week's episode of Wheat Pete's Word. RealAg agronomist Peter Johnson tackles some cereal questions regarding harvest timing, winter cereal planting, nitrogen losses in manure, and more. Listen here, and read some of the highlights below: Your questions/feedback/yield results... 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
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
Should you spray your soybeans once or twice? In this episode of Real Agriculture Soybean School, OMAFRA weed specialist Mike Cowbrough takes a look at how one-pass and two-pass herbicide systems compare. He notes that a one-pass program can offer effective weed control if growers keep soybeans fields weed-free through the third trifoliate stage. But... Read More
Uniform crop. Straight forward harvest. Chris Zemlak is planning to straight cut over half his canola acres this year. But if he had it his way, he would be straight cutting all of them. “There’s something fun about straight cutting canola with a 40-foot header, at 5 miles an hour and putting 40 to 50... Read More