Rainy weather during the in-crop weed control season can make it difficult to give corn want it wants to maintain maximum yield potential: that long critical weed-free period. The difference between fields that received pre-emerge applications and those that did not is quite noticeable in southern Manitoba (and many other areas) this year, as regular... Read More
Category: Agronomy
When a detrimental fungus can travel as far and fast as stripe rust can, it is well worth being vigilant about. With susceptible varieties of wheat, this damaging crop disease can impact yields by anywhere between 50 to 90 per cent. Agronomists in southern Manitoba have identified the disease in wheat fields this week. In... Read More
It's been a tough spring for planting corn in Ontario. Planting season started in late April and some growers are now just getting their last acres in the ground during the final days of June. That seven-week planting season will present challenges for growers as they try to assess yield potential and apply fungicides to... Read More
Grasshoppers, both pest species and not, thrive in dry conditions. When back to back (to back) years end up in a dry cycle, grasshopper populations can explode and wipe out a crop. One year of higher moisture isn't likely to undue that lifecycle bump, so farmers in Saskatchewan and Alberta need to stay vigilant on... Read More
Soil testing is a best management practice when planning fertilizer rates, but a soil test is perhaps most valuable following extreme situations — very wet or drought conditions. As Mike Palmier of Max Ag Consulting explains in this Canola School episode below, three years of dry or drought conditions for his area of west-central Saskatchewan... Read More
It's late June and growers are still planting soybeans in Ontario. It's been that kind of year, says Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness soybean specialist Horst Bohner as growers in rain-soaked areas of the province make a final dash to plant soybean acres. On this episode of the RealAgriculture Soybean School, Bohner looks... Read More
Seeding technology has come a long way in a short time, but the same general principles apply: deliver seed in a uniform rate, at the desired depth with very little seed damage, with good furrow closure and pressure, all while rolling over changing terrain. Figuring out how to achieve all those goals is a daunting... Read More
Once peas have emerged and get growing, it's time to scout for pea leaf weevil feeding. Feeding by adult pea leaf weevils creates notches on the clam shell leaves, but it's the damage done by larvae feeding on the roots that causes economic losses in pea crops. Pea leaf weevil is not an issue in... Read More
As cereal crops race to the finish line across Ontario, many growers are weighing the option of planting soybeans after a first harvest, which is already underway in some winter barley fields in southwestern portions of the province. Embro, Ont., farmer Ian Matheson and his family have been double cropping soybeans for two decades. He... Read More
If you put your feet in the oven and your head in the freezer, on average, you're at a perfect temperature. This week, Ontario is an oven and Western Canada is an icebox, and both extremes create challenges for farmers. There are plenty of questions about spraying in these hot conditions, and some winter crops... Read More