If Manitoba farmers weren't concerned enough about the arrival of clubroot in two canola fields this summer, perhaps the latest confirmation of clubroot galls found in a North Dakota canola field will serve as a wake up call. Of course, this also serves as a giant red flag for American canola growers as well. The... Read More
Category: Agronomy
The 2013 growing season was one of the most productive on record for Western Canada. There were big crops of everything from peas, to canola, to cereals. Durum and hard red spring wheat crops were huge on many farms. While this is good news for farmers (as long as they can get the crop moved),... Read More
Whether it's a brand new crop type or just a new-to-your-farm variety, setting up a basic head to head comparison or small-scale trial can help minimize the risk of going all-in. On-farm trials or variety comparisons are especially helpful when trying to choose a corn variety, as hybrid production can vary so widely between growing... Read More
Did you know seeding corn following canola can result in a competitive disadvantage to the corn (with limited herbicide options) AND phosphate availability issues? Or, that even northern parts of the Prairie Provinces are successfully growing grain corn? Last week, I attended a corn harvest demonstration in North Battleford, where I was able to talk... Read More
Do you wash your seeder out when you're done planting? Have you taken the pressure off your tank lids? Are the chains, bearings and grease-points protected from the elements? A few weeks ago we published an article addressing what you need to do to prepare machinery for storage (including a section on preventing rodent infestations... Read More
After watching the throne speech yesterday I quickly remembered back to a conversation that I had with Gerry Ritz back in January at Farmtech regarding Canada implementing UPOV 91. (Canada's plant breeder's rights system is currently based on the 1978 convention). On several occasions Minister Ritz was very confident Canada would conform to the UPOV... Read More
Research is often seen as an investment in new technology development, in whirring instruments or the roar of equipment. That might make it easy to forget that new technology results from new knowledge. And knowledge is key to preserving and advancing modern family farms. That reminder comes courtesy of Mildmay, ON dairy farmer Ralph Dietrich.... Read More
As the growing season winds down, it's time to think about the best parts of winter — planning for next season and conferences! (My version of "best" my differ from yours). One of the highlights of the conference season has to be FarmTech, where farmers are challenged to evaluate their current production practices and, perhaps,... Read More
2013 was a big year for western Canadian cereal crops, and with big yield can come big problems with toppling over. Lodging risk is a complicated mixture of genetics, a nutrient imbalance, nutrient deficiency, improper seeding rate or a combination of these factors. Having all those things in check is key, but if you still... Read More
Swede midge larvae and symptoms were spotted in much of northeastern Saskatchewan this summer, concerning producers and agronomists alike. This isn't the first time there has been concern over their movement, however. Three adult midge were found in Saskatchewan in 2007, only seven years after first being identified in Ontario, where their spread has been... Read More