Winter wheat acres in Western Canada have fallen by half over the last five years. According to Statistics Canada, just over 1.3 million acres of winter wheat were seeded in the fall of 2011, while only 635 thousand acres were planted in the fall of 2015 (see the chart below). Canola harvest timing and weather... Read More
Category: Crop Schools
It's hard to imagine a time before, at least, threshing machines. But the evolution of wheat is long, and complex. "Not many people know about the origin of wheat," says Mazen Aljarrah, plant breeder at the Field Crop Development Centre in Lacombe, in the following video. "Actually, it started maybe 10,000 years ago through a... Read More
Have you tested your fields for soybean cyst nematode (SCN) lately? If not, it may be time to put a shovel in the ground and do a soil analysis. In this episode of the Soybean School, Huron Commodities agronomist Wayne Wheeler provides tips on how to quickly assess whether or not the tiny root pest... Read More
Spraying wheat for fusarium head blight is simple. Right? You pick the correct product, target the middle of the application window and you’re ready to roll with the sprayer. What could go wrong? Plenty. In this episode of the Wheat School, OMAFRA application technology specialist Jason Deveau and Bayer CropScience market development specialist Troy Basaraba... Read More
Canadian researchers are working on ways to increase the use of pulses in snack foods, not just as a tool to improve market access for producers, but also as a way to improve the nutritional aspects of processed foods. "We've been working with pulses at CIGI here for over a decade now and we've learned... Read More
Dry conditions can be tough on soybean residual herbicides, but with a little rain, they’re up to the task, says BASF field biologist Rob Miller. He concedes that in a dry year like 2016 in Ontario, residuals can be less effective, “but you’re still seeing the value of residual weed control, especially with burndown. Even... Read More
Goss's Wilt, a bacterial infection caused by gram positive bacteria, Clavibacter michiganensis subsp. nebraskensis (CMN), is on the move in Manitoba. The disease was first found near Roland in 2009, and in 2015, 35 of 64 corn fields surveyed tested positive. In this episode of the Corn School, Pratisara Bajracharya of Manitoba Agriculture describes some... Read More
Did you apply sunscreen on your wheat? Your crop could probably use it. Every summer RealAgriculture agronomist Peter Johnson is deluged with questions about diseased wheat when the crop is actually suffering from physiological fleck caused by the sun’s UVB radiation – just common sunburn. Johnson says growers call him up wanting help identifying the... Read More
If you attended this year's canolaPALOOZA in Lacombe, you might still be singing Don Ho's Tiny Bubbles. The 1966 release drifted through the air alongside hundreds, if not thousands, of tiny iridescent soap bubbles. The bubbles — and the hit earworm — were part of a spray demonstration that was organized to help producers visualize... Read More
As the list of herbicide-tolerance traits in soybeans grows, so does the risk of off-target herbicide applications. For many years, most soybeans in North America have been glyphosate-tolerant, with the exception in areas that grow conventional soybeans for the food market. But LibertyLink glufosinate-tolerant soybeans are being planted on some acres and Monsanto plans to... Read More