Blackleg, a fungal disease of canola, is getting away with murder. That's right, murder. This fall, dead, brittle canola plants at swathing or harvest are being attributed, sometimes very wrongly, to sclerotinia infection when, in fact, blackleg is to blame. It's likely been happening for years, Clint Jurke, agronomy specialist with the Canola Council of... Read More
Category: Agronomy
For whatever reason, there are a few agronomy topics that never seem to fully get sorted out — seeding by thousand kernel weight, the right time to spray for wheat midge and what the difference between ESN and Agrotain is, for example. Let's tackle the last on the list. Here's a quick reminder of what... Read More
In the first part of our interview with MAFRI Cereal Specialist Pam de Rocquigny we spoke about some of the critical elements involved in seeding winter wheat: 1. What kind of stubble you're going to seed into. 2. How deep you should seed. 3. Weed and volunteer crop control. SEE MORE WHEAT SCHOOL. In this... Read More
One of the things farmers learn very early is that you can't control every variable involved in growing your crop, so you should focus on what you can control. When planting winter wheat, there's no telling what the season will bring, so you focus on making the best choices available to you from the start.... Read More
The western prairies have been described as a sea of canola. Floating somewhere adrift are crops like flax. Crops that are full of potential, but are at risk of falling to more profitable crops like canola and soybeans. Keeping these fringe crops afloat to develop some of that potential means finding better cropping systems. One... Read More
A successful no-till system starts or stops at the combine. This according to Phil Needham of Needham Ag Technologies. As Phil explains, it's the even spreading of the residue out of the combine that will allow for uniform depth at seeding and uniform emergence as well as other benefits to your crop. SEE MORE WHEAT... Read More
Do you remember the story of the little red hen? No one would help her plant the seeds, harvest the grain, grind the grain and bake the bread, but everyone was willing to eat the bread when it was all said and done. That's a little bit like the story of certified seed. Everyone wants... Read More
As readers have been talking about on RealAgriculture.com, the early canola yields are below expectations. One of the reasons for the lower yields that hasn't been mentioned is the role that wind has played in some areas. Below is a picture that seems to sum up how frustrating harvest can be sometimes. Pretty hard to... Read More
A young Saskatoon company has received a Canadian registration for Mustgrow Crop Bio-fumigant, a new bio-fungicide made from Canadian mustard seed. While the pesticidal properties of mustard have been known for decades, its use as a commercial pesticide has been limited due to the low and variable concentration of active ingredient in mustard seeds and... Read More
In the last episode of the Wheat School, we spoke with wheat specialist Peter Johnson about some of the problems producers can face when they plant winter wheat early. This time around, Pete offers some advice on how to give that wheat the best possible chance at the point of planting. SEE MORE WHEAT SCHOOL.... Read More