Is a healthy soil about what it has, or is, or does, or doesn't do? There are three ways to assess soil: through its physical, chemical, and biological components. But is a healthy soil one that produces the highest yield? Or is it the one with the highest biological activity? What about organic matter, trafficability,... Read More
Category: Crop Production
Scorching summer temperatures are great when you're at the lake, but for the reproductive phase of canola, temperatures above 27 degrees C can cause heat blast. When that happens, any seeds that would have been fertilized during the very hot temps fail to form, dragging down eventual yield. As Justin Nanninga, from Neeralandia, Alta., explains... Read More
Canola growers on the Prairies are always looking to save time and money, especially as combines roll at harvest. Straight-cutting instead of swathing canola can provide some time savings, but is best suited to use with a shatter resistant variety. At Ag in Motion at Saskatoon last week, Nutrien Ag Solutions announced their latest variety,... Read More
With a 90-foot boom for fertilizer, crop protection products, and seed, the Salford Group's new AB640 applicator has the capability to cover 22 per cent more ground per pass compared to traditional 70-foot applicators. In this report from Ag In Motion at Saskatoon, SK., Salford application equipment product manager Gavin Held notes that the new... Read More
Is anthesis the key timing for a fungicide pass if fusarium is the risk? Possibly, but going too early can leave heads or parts of heads unprotected, and later infection can cause some big downgrades due to DON production (a toxin produced by the disease). For this episode of the Wheat School, Amber Bell is... Read More
The implementation of a grocery sector code of conduct, improvements to AgriRecovery, capital gains tax changes, and food security in Canada's north were among the topics discussed by agriculture ministers from across Canada in Whitehorse this week. Ministers representing the federal, provincial and territorial (FPT) governments traveled to the Yukon capital for their annual FPT... Read More
When everyone does their job in agriculture, commodity prices go down. It's how a market works: low supply means higher prices, and with higher prices demand is rationed until prices fall back down. If there was a You Are Here sign for markets, this is it. When agriculture is doing its job, says Jody Lawrence,... Read More
There are about 85,000 acres of potatoes on Prince Edward Island, and every year an increasing number of those acres are planted to winter wheat after potatoes are harvested in September and October. It's a nice fit for the Maritime cropping rotation, says PEI-based Syngenta agronomist Eric Richter, because it gives growers the ability to... Read More
The use of drones for spraying pesticides on crops is still off-label and not legal in Canada, but it's one step closer to becoming reality. Health Canada's Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) has approved its first herbicide for drone application in Canada, although it's not for agricultural use. Corteva says it has received approval for... Read More
The summer of downpours continues for Ontario as another major storm system moved across southern Ontario, leaving rivers and creeks swollen, roads closed, and crops under water. How long can crops survive submerged? That's a common question this week and one Wheat Pete's Word host Peter Johnson answers in the podcast. Also up for discussion:... Read More