Let's say the planning stages go like this: crop rotation, variety selection, seed testing, determine seeding rate and so on. If you're a farmer who doesn't typically test seed or who may be thinking of skipping this step in an effort to save on costs, this episode of the Pulse School is for you. In... Read More
Category: Crops
Sunflowers aren't just one of the prettiest crops to grow, they're also an increasingly attractive cropping option for 2014 for some areas. While still a small acreage area crop in Manitoba, both oil and confection sunflowers can be a profitable option and one with several benefits that go beyond a basic crop budget. That's the... Read More
Farmers in Manitoba know the symptoms of fusarium head blight all too well — bleaching of the grain head, sometimes with a pink tinge, that results in shriveled and shrunk kernels. Sometimes called scab or tombstone, fusarium head blight not only bites into yield, it's also a downgrading factor of grain. Grain with fusarium damaged... Read More
A high-clearance sprayer simply can't compete with the efficiency of aerial application of some crop protection products. But just because a plane can cover farm more acres than ground units doesn't mean there isn't a drive to do the job better and more efficiently. On this stop of the Dow AgroSciences' TechTour, Paul O'Carroll, of... Read More
If farmers want continued access to neonicotinoid seed treatments, they're going to have to do two things: one, practice a series of beneficial management practices to minimize dusting off at planting; and, two, participate in strip trials of insecticide-treated and non-insecticide-treated corn and soybean seed in 2014. Ontario Ministry of Agriculture cereal specialist, Peter Johnson,... Read More
How much nitrogen (N) does a corn crop really need? Are split applications the way to go? What's the biggest risk of N loss in a Western Canadian crop setting? As King Corn marches north and west, these are the questions that need answers if you're going to go from being a farmer who grows... Read More
Cereals Canada announced today the appointment of Cam Dahl as the organization's first-ever president. The Manitoban most recently headed up the Manitoba Beef Producers as general manager, and has also served as commissioner of the Canadian Grain Commission, chair of the Canadian International Grains Institute Board of Directors and executive director of the Grain Growers... Read More
I can't stress enough the importance of having your own two feet in the field to see what the heck is going on in your crops. Too often there is far more that we can bring to the field to help us identify exactly what is occurring, but the lack of a few simple tools... Read More
As Ontario farmers get home from Southwest Ag Conference and FarmSmart, everyone is probably getting itchy for spring. The only thing maybe holding us back is the horrible snow storms that we have been getting. Planting does seem far away but like always at this time of year it is closer than we think. In... Read More
What is the yield response of a soybean crop to a fungicide application? (wait for it...) It depends. If you're not content with that answer, don't worry — neither are researchers. While there are several factors that work in to the decision to spray, questions surrounding the efficacy and the response of that application can... Read More