If agriculture wants to reduce the potential impact neonicotinoid seed treatments have on pollinators, it has to modify standard vacuum planters. That's the verdict from Ridgetown College, University of Guelph researcher Dr. Art Schaafsma. “Essentially, what we’ve created is a drift problem,” says Schaafsma, who spoke publicly about his research for the first time last... Read More
Category: Crop Schools
There have been no confirmed cases of fungicide resistance in pulse crop diseases in Western Canada, and the industry wants to keep it that way. "It's something we want to take a proactive approach on and make sure we don't develop those issues we're seeing in some of the southern States with corn and soybean... Read More
A good fungicide application is all about getting the active ingredient where it needs to be at the right time to prevent disease. That can be a challenge in lentils, especially when conditions have been conducive for thick canopy growth, as is the case in parts of Western Canada this summer. "We're looking for ways... Read More
Before applying a plant growth regulator containing chlormequat to wheat, make sure you've confirmed you have a buyer willing to purchase it, because most of the major grain companies say they won't. Potentially a valuable tool in reducing lodging, many growers are interested in applying Manipulator, a PGR introduced in Canada by Engage Agro in... Read More
Ontario’s corn crop is holding its own as the final days of a hot, dry June slip past. But with moisture stress increasing, some ‘sins of the spring’ are taking their toll on cornfields, says Pride Seeds Market Agronomist Ken Currah. In this episode of Real Agriculture Corn School, Currah explains that much of the... Read More
With the June 30 crop insurance deadline approaching, many Ontario farmers are wondering what they should do with their soybeans. Across the province, fields are struggling as seed lays in the ground in varying states of delayed emergence due to drought conditions. In this episode of Real Agriculture Soybean School, Pride Seeds Market Agronomist Ken... Read More
As disease pressure mounts, fungicide applications to prevent fusarium head blight (FHB) have started in wheat across Western Canada. Effective FHB suppression comes down to timing and knowing where your target is, explains AgriMetrix spray application specialist Tom Wolf in this Wheat School episode. "We are specifically after the wheat head. We need an angled... Read More
Ample moisture availability, combined with the price incentive to move to tighter pulse crop rotations, has resulted in high disease pressure for many of this year's pea and lentil acres. The crop is also well-advanced in many areas, with most acres seeded before the second week of May, notes Allison Friesen of BASF in this... Read More
While most canola producers in western Canada are still keeping an eye out for wireworms and cutworms, there are more reasons to scout on the horizon. Those reasons? Cabbage seedpod weevils and lygus bugs. For each species, there are a series of factors that might influence the susceptibility of a given canola crop to infestation.... Read More
A simple recipe for double crop soybean success during the hot, dry summer might be "seed to moisture and pray for rain." But it’s not that simple says Syngenta agronomist Eric Richter, one of Canada’s leading experts on the double crop system. In this episode of Soybean School, Richter joins RealAgriculture resident agronomist Peter Johnson... Read More