A soil pH outside the neutral range can cause significant issue with nutrient availability. Western Canadian soils are largely in this range, however, over time, nitrogen fertilizer applications can create soil acidity issues that are very expensive to fix. Dr. Manbir Rakkar, assistant research professor at Montana State University-Bozeman, explains that managing acidic soil conditions... Read More
Category: Crop Schools
Wheat harvest is underway in Ontario and many cash crop farmers are wondering whether they should plant those acres to soybeans and take advantage of double cropping. Double crop soybeans are always an opportunity for many growers, says AGRIS Co-operative agronomist Dale Cowan, but it's important to understand the risks. In 2021, he notes that... Read More
Timing crop protecting sprays is an important decision to make to ensure the health and quality of the crop. While sometimes weather conditions don't allow farmers to be as precise in timing as they'd like to be, there are some variables that should be taken into consideration when weighing the options of getting back out... Read More
Andy Kieraszewicz never thought the sandy soils on the former tobacco land he farms at Rodney, Ont., could ever average more than 200 bushels of corn per acre. But a fervent commitment to rebuilding organic matter in the drought-prone areas across the 1,000-acre operation has the farmer now consistently producing eye-popping yields he didn't think... Read More
By early July, many canola fields across the Prairies are in the beginning stages of bolting. According to Héctor Cárcamo, research scientist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada at Lethbridge, Alta., that's a great time to start thinking about the cabbage seed pod weevil. Before worrying about thresholds and spray timing for the insect pest that... Read More
What's in store for the 2022 soybean crop as plants move through the vegetative and reproductive stages? Will it be a white mould year? On this episode of the RealAgriculture Soybean School, BASF agronomist, Ken Currah, looks at the stark contrast between the 2021 and 2022 growing seasons and how it could impact disease management... Read More
After the crop is in and you start to see the fruits, or emergence, of your labour, it's time to keep a watchful eye out for any stress points to best be able to detect root rot. On this episode of the Pulse School, Mike Palmier, owner of MaxAg Consulting, goes through when to scout... Read More
Protecting yield potential from northern corn leaf blight (NCLB) and a newer pest, tar spot, requires being well-armed and ready to apply the right fungicides at the right time. That's because these diseases are not only big yield robbers, but the window to provide adequate control is quite narrow, and gets narrower with certain weather... Read More
The decision whether to spray a fungicide for sclerotinia stem rot always comes back to the disease triangle — a susceptible host, the presence of the pathogen, and a favourable environment — and many canola-growing areas currently have all three. Under "favourable environment," sclerotinia requires moist soil conditions to germinate. The last few years have... Read More
Maximizing nitrogen uptake is a main priority for pulse growers and ensuring success starts with being knowledgeable about identifying proper nodulation. Mike Palmier, with MaxAg Consulting, joins us for this episode of the Pulse School, where we discuss when to scout for nodulation, why it's important, how to assess if nodules are healthy. What happens... Read More