By Karen Lewis As farmers across the central U.S. corn belt scramble to prevent the spread of western corn rootworm resistance to Bt corn, Prairie wheat growers are being urged to be diligent in their stewardship efforts to protect midge tolerant wheat technology. “Resistance to corn rootworm technology is really a cautionary tale for Prairie... Read More
Category: Agronomy
The factors involved in weed management decisions vary greatly from farm to farm, so many herbicide research projects deal with variances in weather, soil and weed population presence. Products and even rates, for example, will often be catered to a specific soil zone. And, with the growing threat of herbicide resistance, it boils down to... Read More
Results from a seed test could shape several management decisions made at seeding — from fine-tuning the seeding rate to determining the viability of the seed lot for seed at all. Though damaged seeds and vigour issues can be assessed, arguably the biggest factor for consideration in seed test results is the type and level... Read More
UAVs (drones) have become the newest crop scouting tool for farmers to implement on the farm. Last year you maybe knew one farmer that owned one. This year I bet you can name five to 10. I know I can, and that's just in my local area. Indiana farmer, Brian Scott is going to put... Read More
Managing for nitrogen losses in crop production is important, absolutely, but N isn't the only nutrient at risk of being lost from the plant's refrigerator. Phosphorus, that other macro-nutrient we know and love, is also subject to losses — and while losses may go relatively unnoticed in the cropping system, our lakes are rivers pay... Read More
Phosphorus management is and must be a long term proposition. Phosphorus behaves very differently than nitrogen in the soil, as it binds tightly to soil particles and releases slowly over time. This is good and bad — it's not subject to the same loss risk that N is, but it also means that sometimes the... Read More
It's worrisome, though not terribly surprising, that Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Development (MAFRD) announced today confirmed glyphosate resistant kochia biotypes were found in the province. MAFRD jointly conducted a kochia survey across Manitoba in the fall of 2013, in conjunction with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (the Saskatoon Research Centre) and the University of Manitoba,... Read More
In this episode of the Corn School, Bernard Tobin and OMAF Corn Lead Greg Stewart turn to a chalkboard to draw up some nitrogen strategies for the 2014 corn crop. Throughout the winter meeting season, Stewart touted a split application approach to nitrogen. He recommends growers put down 100 lb of nitrogen pre-plant and then... Read More
As the snow retreats (quickly now, get on with you), it's time to get out there and take a good look at the winter wheat stand. There is such thing as doing a winterkill evaluation too early, but, depending on the method you use, you could need up to two weeks to get a good... Read More
A pre-seed burn down is often the first pass on a field. Some may overlook the importance of getting a strong burn-down, but in reality it can be a huge detriment if some components get overlooked. And if you're going to do a job, you should do it well. Why does a pre-seed burn-down matter?... Read More