The 2015 planting season is moving right into spraying season, as this week’s update from Wheat Pete includes discussion about early weed control in dry conditions, critical weed-free periods for corn and soybeans, and manganese deficient wheat. Whether it’s lamb’s quarters, pigweed, ragweed or foxtail, “you name it, it’s out there coming gangbusters,” says Peter... Read More
Category: Agronomy
This week, I had the distinct pleasure of joining a small group of range enthusiasts for a ranch tour in central Alberta. I wasn't sure what to expect, besides a scorching sun and gale-force winds. But the afternoon ended up being so much more than an excuse to step away from my laptop. It was... Read More
Did you know that cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes, and green beans can grow more than eight feet in the air? And that, for a greenhouse, a power outage is much more dangerous in the summer than the winter? That's because a missed automatic watering in the summer is far more detrimental to greenhouse plants than a... Read More
Another gene that has provided resistance to crown rust in oat varieties grown in Western Canada is losing its effectiveness. The Pc91 gene was a source of resistance to crown rust in some of common varieties in recent years, including Souris, Stainless, HiFi, AAC Justice and CDC Morrison, but changes in the crown rust pathogen... Read More
What a week! The planting is going fast and furious, and farmers are getting itchy for rain. In this week’s Wheat Pete’s Word, hosted by Peter Johnson, we tackle why a dry spring is a-OK and why not to worry too much about rain just yet. What’s more concerning is the downright cool weather forecast... Read More
Resistance to clubroot disease in canola is deteriorating across Alberta, according to research conducted by Alberta Agriculture and the University of Alberta. Multiple pathotypes are now suspected to be responsible for infecting canola varieties that were previously deemed resistant to the soil-borne disease. The presence of a different clubroot pathotype that could infect resistant varieties... Read More
With seeding underway, it's easy to switch the drill from cereals to canola and just continue rolling. However, Angela Brackenreed of the Canola Council of Canada has a reminder in this wet and windy Canola School episode: a clean, weed-free start to the growing season is more important than an early start. Dig into the... Read More
A job worth doing is worth doing well, and if you're treating soybean seed at home on the farm, you may be over or under applying product. There are custom seed treatment options available, on a field by field basis, that may become even more popular as new regulations come into force for next season.... Read More
Approximately 25 percent of the 2015 crop on the Canadian prairies was in the ground at the start of this week (May 4th), according to the weather and crop specialist with CWB Market Research. Dry conditions in southern Alberta, southwestern Saskatchewan and south-central/southeastern Manitoba have allowed seeding operations to advance ahead of average, with “virtually... Read More
We’re into the first week of May, and the challenges facing farmers this year couldn’t be any more different than last year, even if we planned it. Speaking of polar opposite, let’s kick off this week’s Wheat Pete’s Word with a look at the tale of two wheat crops — those that look GREAT, and... Read More