It can seem like an efficient way to solve two problems at once — add an insecticide in with the fungicide on canola and, voila, all your pest troubles go away. But not so fast. While applying an insecticide when pest insect levels are at or above threshold may be the right move, adding an... Read More
Category: Agronomy
If ever we needed a new curse word, let me humbly suggest kochia. If you thought it was tough to kill before, it's quickly becoming even more difficult. As Clark Brenzil, provincial weed specialist with Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture, explains, not only should kochia be taken off the label of every Group 2 herbicide, it's... Read More
It sounds a little out there — plants talking to each other, warning them to arm themselves against predators and biotic stress, but it's real. The research into plant communication is actually decades old, but for some time it was largely ignored by the research community. That is, until now. Rob Saik, president of the... Read More
Proper tank clean-out is a key aspect of avoiding herbicide injury, but the waste water created from tank cleaning needs to be handled responsibly to avoid unwanted plant injury or water contamination. Using a biobed — essentially a clay-lined, dedicated area rich in microbes where tank water is emptied for further degradation by microbes —... Read More
Steve Laroque is starting to see some significant differences on his farm north of Drumheller, Alta., after three consecutive years of practicing controlled traffic farming. After learning some hard lessons in the first few seasons — their measurements were off when setting up a hitch for inter-row seeding — 2012 offered a glimpse at some... Read More
The 2013 wheat midge forecast map is now live on the Alberta Agriculture website, Ropin the Web. This forecast is based on 298 soil samples taken in the fall after harvest. Indications are that wheat midge will be more of a concern for 2013 than it was for 2012. Midge numbers have increased and they... Read More
Spring wheat may not be the highest acreage crop in Ontario, but it's still an important crop for many, especially for those who need or sell straw. Choosing the right spring wheat variety takes a bit of research, but that research is easy to do with GoCereals.ca. In this video, Peter Johnson, OMAFRA's wheat specialist,... Read More
Beyond Agronomy's Steve Larocque is rolling out the Air Cart Maximizer, an app for Android and iPhone that quickly calculates the maximum acres per fill one can achieve with their air cart based on tank size, fertilizer and seeding rates. "It will tell you where to put seed and fertilizer and how much product to... Read More
To say that soybeans are the hottest topic in Manitoba right now is an understatement. The excitement around the crop is perhaps eclipsed only by the recent opening of Ikea. The N-fixing crop is definitely turning heads and has many farmers asking how they can jump on the soybean bandwagon. And so it was, that... Read More
By Mike Cowbrough for FieldCropNews.com It seems to be an annual question. Do I add ammonium sulfate (AMS) to glyphosate? Will it improve weed control especially if my water source is hard? The short answer is no. Skeptical? I understand. There are many areas within the United States that insist the addition of ammonium sulfate... Read More