You've gone out to check fields. Last week's herbicide application should be in full force, but when you get out to the field, targeted weeds aren't showing the signs they should, or the crop looks sickly or both. Was this product failure or human error? Both or neither? Spraying pesticides — be they insecticides, fungicides... Read More
Category: Agronomy
Whether you're using commercial blends or manure, shortly after first cut is a great time to fertilize forage fields. But, wait, aren't perennial crops low-input? Top notch hay producers will tell you that fertility is paramount to getting top production out of a hay corp and to ensure maximum persistence of that stand. In this... Read More
I'm likely the only mum of two young kids that you'll see taking pictures of weed seedlings on the way to the park. I do it for a few reasons. One, I work in farm media, you never know when you're going to need a really great shot of a lamb's quarters seedling (trust me,... Read More
There are two things you're always going to have with livestock — deadstock and manure. Both byproducts, if you will, present their own type of challenges. And then there are rules and regulations to contend with. Unlike some other byproducts of beef production, however, manure is a truly valuable resource if handled, stored and used... Read More
There are times, in my wanderings on the Internet, that I really do wonder — how did I miss this? Earlier this week, Dr. Tom Wolf, former Ag Canada researcher and current nozzle/spraying expert extraordinaire, alerted me to a certain three minute video featuring his colleague Steve Shirtliffe. Shirtliffe is a professor with the University... Read More
Seed Hawk, a Canadian-based no-till drill manufacturer, announced this week that the company plans a two-phase expansion to its manufacturing facility near Langbank, Saskatchewan, that will see a total of nearly 100,000 sq. ft. added to its capacity within the year. Seed Hawk partnered with Vaderstad Verken Ab in 2006 as a first move to... Read More
Early season field scouting serves many purposes. Not only is early scouting a powerful tool in keeping ahead of weed, disease and insect pests, but early season growth of the crop tells the story of planting. Sometimes that story isn't necessarily a happy tale, as crusting, variable emergence or thin stands can all be traced... Read More
They're back! While it's a bit early to be alarmed about armyworm feeding, early is also the prime time to be scouting for this leaf chewer. Armyworms start out very small (which happens to be the best time to control them) and like to feed in the evenings, so if you're doing most of your... Read More
Last week Kristen Phillips, Manitoba's agronomy specialist with the Canola Council of Canada, introduced us to the Ultimate Canola Challenge set up near Portage la Prairie, Man., and offered tips on counting plant stands. The UCC, a demo of three teams all vying for top canola yields, includes three different canola varieties, seeding with two... Read More
Targeting wheat heads requires a very different approach when spraying than when looking after the flag leaf — water volume and travel speed play a role, but it's the upright, thin nature of the head that requires a switch in nozzles for best coverage. In this interview, Ontario cereal specialist Peter Johnson reviews what it... Read More