Timing a spring tillage operation can be particularly challenging when the weather decides to be rather uncooperative for a timely planting season. And while cool or wet conditions can have you stressed out about the need to get on the field, heading out too soon on wet soil can have season-long negative effects. As Jim... Read More
Category: Crop Production
Is it warm enough to plant? It's a common question these days and one that has many a farmer out checking soil temps often. The tricky part about spring soil warm-up is that the optimal soil temp for germination isn't necessary the optimum soil temp for sprouting and emergence of the corn crop. Add in... Read More
Sclerotinia gets so much attention, you'd think it was the only disease canola succumbed to. While there are many reasons to brush up on sclerotinia management, doing so at the expense of watching and managing for blackleg is a recipe for a slow-building disaster. While canola varieties do have resistance to several strains of the... Read More
I sometimes feel a little bad for phosphorus. Nitrogen gets all the attention when it comes to fertility planning. Sure, most farmers are committed to throwing down a little phosphorus-rich starter fert, and, yes, nitrogen is needed in the largest quantities, but little ol' immobile phosphorus is just not getting the respect it deserves. Even... Read More
Whether you do your own digging, subscribe to several news outlets or employ an analyst, making decisions about price direction requires a significant investment of time and effort. For many farmers, marketing and following the markets is an enjoyable part of their job. For others, it's not how they'd like to spend their time or... Read More
The number one way to manage herbicide resistant weeds is to avoid them in the first place, says Mike Saxton with Syngenta US. That said, we'd be completely remiss to say that Canada or the U.S. was in a position to avoid herbicide resistant weeds. Several species are already resistant, some of those to more... Read More
Pulses are well-known for their nitrogen-fixing capacity but not for their competitiveness. Weed pressure can really knock back yield, a situation made worse by a thin stand or early-season disease. Two key seeding management strategies for pulses are seeding rates based on an optimal plant stand count and disease control planning. Achieving the best established... Read More
How can I produce more corn and soybeans on the same piece of land? That is the multimillion dollar question at play. Syngenta is investing a lot of time and money in trying to rethink multiple cropping strategies, tank mixes and the traditional crop rotation order to try and battle weed resistance, improve yields and... Read More
When the time comes to put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) and look at the hard numbers behind the corn, soybeans and wheat in your rotation, it's important to give each crop the credit it deserves. The truth is that when you run that rotation, unless you're digging deep, wheat probably isn't getting... Read More
If you cannot see the above embedded audio player, Click Here Sometimes the challenges are right in front of you. Since no company has invented the "no-shell wind resistant canola trait" yet, the massive amount of wind in the fall across the west has planted a major challenge of canola volunteers for this spring. Volunteer... Read More