What did growers learn about growing edible beans in 2022? Growers experienced much different conditions in the key growing regions, but overall the season was generally positive. In Manitoba, a good crop prevailed after a wet spring delayed planting. In many cases, growers experienced record yields. Further east, dry conditions stressed the Ontario crop but... Read More
Category: Crop Schools
Soil acidity is an issue that's gaining attention in the Northern Plains, especially in areas where no-till practices have been paired with high surface-applied nitrogen rates. "They're seeing this advancing a lot faster in parts of North Dakota and Montana, under traditional zero till conditions where they broadcast urea fertilizer. They find they're acidifying the... Read More
Bacterial leaf streak is not a particularly new disease to Canada but there are ongoing projects to increase identification and prevention of the disease. Dr. Constanza Fleitas, with the cereal and flax pathology group at the University of Saskatchewan, says that bacterial leaf streak is a growing issue in the U.S., and there are increasing... Read More
Farmers in Western Canada should add another chemistry to the list to pay attention to when it comes to herbicide resistance in kochia, says a weed scientist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. The problematic weed is already known to be resistant to Group 2, Group 4 and/or Group 9 herbicides. "The new thing that we're... Read More
In 2022, the top 20 growers in the Great Lakes Yield Enhancement Network (YEN) harvested 50 bu/ac more wheat than the bottom 20 growers in overall yield rankings. What's really surprising, says RealAgriculture agronomist Peter Johnson, is that this gap exists despite there being only a five percent difference in yield potential between the two... Read More
Tar spot has been spreading across North American corn growing regions ever since the leaf disease was first detected in 2015. Characterized by tar-like speckling on the upper surface of corn leaves, the fungal pathogen can deliver yield hits ranging from 20 to 60 bushels per acre (in highly infected fields). On this episode of... Read More
It's been 20 years since soybean aphids were first reported in Ontario soybean fields. Over the years, growers and researchers have learned that no two years seem to be the same and populations of the yield-robbing pests vary from year-to-year. There has, however, been significant changes to aphid behaviour over the years and this evolution... Read More
The expansion in canola crush capacity in Western Canada over the next few years is expected to create opportunities to not only maximize the amount of canola meal in domestic animal feed rations, but also to unlock new demand for feeding livestock and fish in the Indo-Pacific region. "We're probably seeing about another three million... Read More
Are drop hoses that travel through the canopy the best way to apply in-crop fungicides? That's a question Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) application technology specialist Jason Deveau has worked on for the past four years. It all started in 2019 when Deveau joined forces with OMAFRA plant pathologist Albert Tenuta... Read More
Winter is a great time to recalibrate your approach to managing wheat diseases and applying fungicides. That's the message Penn State University plant pathologist Alyssa Collins shared with agronomists attending the Ontario Certified Crop Advisors annual meeting earlier this month. It's a dormant period for humans and also for fungi and plants, says Collins. "So... Read More