Fertilizer management, and especially nitrogen management, can be a bit of an art form when it comes to corn planting. Not only is it sometimes difficult to get all the N down at planting, but using split applications of nitrogen can also just be good risk management. Going in later in the growing season means... Read More
Category: Agronomy
The most important pass a farmer makes every year is the one with the seeder. There's no way to add yield or plants if you make a big mistake on that first pass — no amount of fungicide, herbicide or specialty product is going to come to the rescue. But seeding conditions in Western Canada... Read More
It was only a matter of time before clubroot infection or viable clubroot spores were found in Manitoba soil, still it's not welcome news. Manitoba's provincial ag department released this press release today, underscoring the importance of spread prevention (Click here for a Canola School on the topic): Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives... Read More
The transition from the closed to open wheat and barley market has gone very smoothly, of that most will agree. Sales have gone through, prices have been strong and the hiccups have been relatively minor. Earlier this week, several market analysts, grain buyers and farmers converged on downtown Winnipeg for Wild Oats Grainworld, a conference... Read More
Ah, early spring — the days are getting longer, the snow is starting to melt ever so slightly, and farmers are dusting off the machinery in hopes of an early seeding season. While many are fine-tuning their crop rotations and acreage counts, the savvy farmer is also pouring over seed test results and using the... Read More
It's one thing to know that you should be scouting for blackleg, sclerotinia, sulphur deficiency and cutworms, for example. It's another thing entirely to actually scout every field for every pest at the optimal timing during the hectic growing season. What if there was a way to practice insect, disease and nutrient deficiency identification when... Read More
Everyone loves a good challenge. The Grain Farmers of Ontario 2012 spring wheat challenge recently awarded top prize to Del Cressman, from Listowel, Ont., for his 112 bu/ac average crop. Breaking and surpassing 100 bushels per acre while maintaining protein doesn't happen by chance, of course. In this video, Cressman outlines the management factors and... Read More
Is there such thing as a perfect farm? If so, what does it look like? Is it a fixed size? Is it highly specialized, or incredibly diverse? The perfect farm is a concept that Gary Martens, instructor with the department of plant science at the University of Manitoba, brought up to me some time ago... Read More
Demands and expectations are very high on seeders and planters. Seed must be delivered quickly and gently, then metered accurately and placed precisely in the furrow, regardless of conditions. The planter then has to close up the furrow, pack it down and carry on, all the while adjusting for terrain and trash at over five... Read More
There is a proverb that says "The enemy of my enemy is my friend." Never is this more true than at the field level, nestled deep in the crop canopy, where beneficial insects are hard at work killing and eating crop pests. The tricky part, however, is that these beneficial insects can look a whole... Read More