There's a difference between new technology that becomes a useful tool and new technology that's just a toy. The difference is largely in the practical application of what any given technology makes possible. Exhibit A: the smartphone — great and powerful technology, but likely also overwhelmingly used to share silly cat videos and status updates.... Read More
Category: Crops
With 2,500 acres of identity preserved (IP) soybeans in the ground, Sheppland Farms, based at Selkirk, Ontario, is one of the largest IP soy growers in Ontario. For Scott Sheppard, who farms with his father and brother, IP soys have turned out to be a great fit for the farm. The heavy clay soil makes... Read More
The United Nations named 2013 the International Year of Quinoa for the crop's potential contribution to global food security, and to recognize the indigenous people of the Andes who have long grown and protected quinoa. The global efforts to recognize the food have seemed fruitful, with interest in the product continuing to grow. Often referred... Read More
If you like winter wheat, you just might love fall rye. For those of you who already have experience with fall rye, you just might love hybrid rye even more. Recently, farmers and agronomists near Lethbridge, Alta., were treated to a look at modern fall rye production, including a full introduction to the new hybrid... Read More
If there ever was a "perfect" spray day, it would likely be embellished with a flat sprayer tire or a busted hydraulic hose. Let's face it, some years, even days with good conditions are few. Something is always on a spray applicator's mind, whether it's temperature extremes, the potential for precipitation, high windspeed, an inversion... Read More
By the time symptoms of fusarium head blight (FHB) show up in the crop, it is too late to halt disease development (though you may be able to manage fusarium kernels with the combine). This makes managing the disease a little more complicated, as spray applicators and producers have to assess the history of... Read More
It’s a research project that’s never been done before, because, frankly, there really wasn’t much reason to tackle the question. But now farmers want to know — What’s the best way to condition canola for storage over the summer? This summer, the Prairie Agriculture Machinery Institute (PAMI) is running a trial (funded by the three... Read More
Today, Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz announced a $1 million investment in a four-year surveillance project to be initiated by the Beekeepers Commission of Alberta. The project will span the country, and will document the health profile of Canadian bee colonies. The project, which will support Canada's position for international honey bee stock trade, will record... Read More
Soybean growers in Manitoba are — so far — rather lucky. While there are diseases in the province that infect soybeans, like downy mildew, white mold (sclerotinia) and brown spot, overall pressure is relatively low. That will change over time, however, as Vikram Bisht, plant pathologist with Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Development, points out,... Read More
Growing a bumper crop of corn requires a big meal of plant nutrients. But if you're going to feed a hulk of a plant, you've got to make sure you protect it too. Fungicides may not always be warranted, but if the yield potential is there and conditions are right for disease development, a fungicide... Read More