How good is your weed identification? If you had to answer if a weed was a "late flushing" weed or a winter annual, could you answer? While no weed specialist expects every farmer to be a weed expert, knowing a few specific details about your enemy is actually quite helpful in the war on resistance.... Read More
Category: Crop Production
Ergot (often refered to as “Ergot of Rye”) is a disease caused by the plant fungus Claviceps pururea. It’s history with humans is rich and painful, believed to be a contributing factor in the Salem Witch Trials, and the diagnoses of “Holy Fire,” later termed “St. Anthony’s Fire.” Today, it is regarded as a highly... Read More
Soil moisture conditions across Western Canada are "in reasonably good shape" heading into the 2015 growing season, but there are areas where farmers who might not be accustomed to farming in dry conditions are preparing for a dry start to the year. As Bruce Burnett, weather and crops specialist with CWB, explains in the audio... Read More
Emergency use registration will now allow producers in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba to use Intego Solo (ethaboxam) for the suppression of Aphanomyces euteiches in field peas. “Pulse production in Western Canada is now under serious threat from Aphanomyces – the most devastating disease in peas worldwide, according to the American Phytopathological Society,” Graham Collier, technical... Read More
Newspapers of late seem to be drenched with neonicotinoids, often blaming the now well-known active ingredient for declining bee populations. Related: Canola School – Bees & Beneficials – Defining Terms, Protecting Habitat and Recognizing Benefits Here in Canada, between 2013 and 2014, the beekeeping industry actually experienced some impressive growth, with increases in beekeepers, colonies,... Read More
Tough conditions last fall resulted in fewer acres of wheat being planted than planned in Ontario. Some of those fields could end up defaulting back to soybeans for 2015. In this Soybean School episode, Dave Hooker, field crop agronomist and assistant professor at the University of Guelph-Ridgetown, and Bernard Tobin discuss the implications of back-to-back... Read More
The debate over whether or not it is a good idea to have your children vaccinated is one that every person in agriculture needs to pay attention to. I use the word debate not because there is any argument — the value and safety of vaccines has been proven time and again. I would fall... Read More
How far off are we from having individual nozzle shut-off and control? We're not there yet, says Doug Prairie, with Raven, but new nozzle controls systems are improving spray precision dramatically. In this episode of TechTour, brought to you by Dow AgroSciences, Prairie sits down with Real Agriculture founder Shaun Haney to talk Raven's new... Read More
After three decades of fairly stagnant yields in Saskatchewan and Manitoba, a renewed focus on agronomic practices with flax could unlock higher yields, says a former flax breeder who now works as a research consultant for the Flax Council of Canada. “I think that flax has been undermanaged to some degree, even with fertility,” says... Read More
To underline the value of research at universities in the province, the Council of Ontario Universities has launched a campaign inviting the public to vote on what it considers to be the top 50 “game changing” research breakthroughs in the past century. Universities were asked to forward their suggestions to the council, which then chose... Read More