Just when you thought Canola School and Canola Watch couldn't get any better, we go and combine the best of both worlds in this audio version of the Canola School! That's right, in this episode of Canola School, Real Agriculture editor Lyndsey Smith is joined by Canola Watch editor, Jay Whetter, to talk about at... Read More
Category: Crop Schools
In a perfect world, the soybean plant would pop up out of the ground, grow some leaves and then really stretch a bit before setting where that first pod will form. The reality for many western Canadian farmers, however, is that even in a decent year, our Prairie springs are quite cool — first pod... Read More
Have you walked your canola fields shortly after emergence only to find several seedlings struggling and dying off or found seeds rotting in the furrow? Even treated seed can't fully overcome the pressure of the seedling disease complex endemic to all of Western Canada's canola growing region, especially if canola is seeded too deep or... Read More
Soybeans are a relatively new crop for many farmers in Western Canada. For many farmers, this brings a second RoundUp Ready crop (or possibly third) into rotation. Because of this, controlling volunteer canola ahead of the soybean crop is crucial, as high canola populations can have a significant yield impact, and more costly, as a... Read More
If you're considering growing identity-preserved (IP) soybeans this year, you're certainly not alone. Solid premiums combined with a surplus of winter-killed winter wheat fields has many farmers becoming IP-curious, some for the very first time. In this episode of the Soybean School, Ontario field editor Bernard Tobin asks Tim Montague, procurement manager for Huron Commodities,... Read More
If you've already completed your seed test, it's likely you have an idea of the level of disease present in your wheat seed. With that, and knowledge of pests from previous years, it's time to make a decision about seed treatment. "Treating wheat seed is an importance insurance step," says Mitchell Japp of the Saskatchewan... Read More
The 2014 planting season isn't exactly kicking off with a bang. A hard winter, a slow spring and continued rain has been hard on winter wheat fields and has got planting off to a very slow start. While soybeans aren't the first priority to get in the ground (they do require warm soil, after all),... Read More
Did you know that wheat seed that has been negatively impacted by glyphosate application will show no visible signs of damage? So though you may be able to see mechanical damage, there are many factors that hide beneath the surface, including disease presence and susceptibility. That's why it's important to send seed for a test... Read More
Patience wears thin as we head in to May and the ground is still wet and cold. The cost of going in too soon, based on soil conditions and not the calendar, can be mighty costly. If the ground is fit, but a little cool, that's one thing, but ground that is both wet and... Read More
"You shouldn't plant until your soil is fit." It's a great quote, but what does "fit" soil look like? Well, it's not just what it looks like, soil fit for planting corn also needs to be warm, though we use the term loosely here in Western Canada. The fact is, regardless of how dry or... Read More