Category: Crop Schools

When planting soybeans after corn does the oilseed benefit from pre-plant tillage? A little spring tillage certainly enhances yield, says Horst Bohner, soybean specialist for the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA). Based on accumulated OMAFRA trial data, growers can expect plant stands to be 10 per cent higher and fields to... Read More

The hangover effects from a wet fall are giving farmers in parts of Western Canada a headache this spring. Saturated soil conditions right until freeze-up forced fieldwork that normally happens in fall to be delayed until spring. As a result, heavy harrows, vertical tillage machines, traditional cultivators, and even fire — all the tools in... Read More

Fusarium head blight (FHB), caused by the fungus Fusarium graminearum, is a major concern for wheat growers across the Prairies. The fungus affects grain yield and produces mycotoxins such as deoxynivalenol, or DON, that accumulate in grain. The presence of DON leads to a downgrade in quality when that grain enters the market. Victoria Linden,... Read More

You've finished seeding, and now you're getting curious as to how the crop's looking and what kind of plant stand you've got. Getting an idea of how many plants per square foot or square meter is a really good idea, but more importantly, an early emergence evaluation helps diagnose any plant stand issues and what... Read More

Plant growth regulators (PGRs) are used to control or modify plant growth processes. There are a few products on the market, and in the case of cereals, the most common PGR is used to influence the hormones responsible for cell elongation, which results in shorter, thicker stems. Alberta Agriculture and Forestry, Agronomic Research Scientist, Sheri... Read More

The decision to re-seed a canola crop can be a difficult one, and the reasons to re-seed can be numerous: wind damage or sandblasting, especially in sandier soils, insect damage from cutworms or flea beetles, or overall low plant density. In this episode of RealAgriculture's Canola School, Kara Oosterhuis chats re-seeding decisions with Autumn Barnes,... Read More

Fungicide formulation, timing and application. Get all those right and chances are you'll have effective suppression of fusarium head blight (FHB) in your winter wheat crop. Syngenta Canada formulations and applications manager Doug Baumann notes that these three components of control all have to work together for growers to achieve optimum FHB control. On this... Read More

Rolling right after planting has become a common practice on soybean fields in Western Canada over the last decade, but there are some good reasons to consider delaying the timing of rolling until after the crop is up. Rolling right behind the planter or drill improves seed-to-soil contact and is definitely less unnerving than rolling... Read More

In-crop herbicide application season can be a busy time, and there are many factors to consider to make your herbicide application efficient. Technical marketing specialist of herbicides with BASF, Andrew Reid, talks herbicide efficacy with RealAgriculture's Kara Oosterhuis in this episode of Pulse School. Before you jump in the sprayer there are a few questions... Read More

It's time for T3 fungicides to control fusarium head blight in Ontario's winter wheat, but growers may also have another troublemaker in the cereal crop that they'll need to tackle this time of year. There have been growing reports of cereal aphids in the Ontario winter wheat crop this spring, and growers need will to... Read More