It's one thing to know that you should be scouting for blackleg, sclerotinia, sulphur deficiency and cutworms, for example. It's another thing entirely to actually scout every field for every pest at the optimal timing during the hectic growing season. What if there was a way to practice insect, disease and nutrient deficiency identification when... Read More
Category: Crop Production
Everyone loves a good challenge. The Grain Farmers of Ontario 2012 spring wheat challenge recently awarded top prize to Del Cressman, from Listowel, Ont., for his 112 bu/ac average crop. Breaking and surpassing 100 bushels per acre while maintaining protein doesn't happen by chance, of course. In this video, Cressman outlines the management factors and... Read More
Is there such thing as a perfect farm? If so, what does it look like? Is it a fixed size? Is it highly specialized, or incredibly diverse? The perfect farm is a concept that Gary Martens, instructor with the department of plant science at the University of Manitoba, brought up to me some time ago... Read More
Demands and expectations are very high on seeders and planters. Seed must be delivered quickly and gently, then metered accurately and placed precisely in the furrow, regardless of conditions. The planter then has to close up the furrow, pack it down and carry on, all the while adjusting for terrain and trash at over five... Read More
There is a proverb that says "The enemy of my enemy is my friend." Never is this more true than at the field level, nestled deep in the crop canopy, where beneficial insects are hard at work killing and eating crop pests. The tricky part, however, is that these beneficial insects can look a whole... Read More
While Australia and Canada have much in common in regards to farming, the two countries' growing seasons are also drastically different in many ways. One major similarity is farmers' love of a good head-to-head equipment comparison, and what better to compare than seeder set-ups. That's exactly what ABC News' Landline program covered in a recent... Read More
I heard recently that only an estimated 20% of the fields across the Canadian Prairies are soil sampled. This is a surprisingly low number to me, as soil testing is the base on which many components of a farm plan for the year are built. What's worse is that of the 20% of fields sampled,... Read More
Soybeans are the hot topic of 2013. From Manitoba to Alberta, farmers are curious about growing the crop or are planning to expand acres in a big way this year. While the crop isn't brand new for Manitoba, the projected 1 million acre mark for 2013 is not going to be reached by only seasoned... Read More
Many factors converge in determining the final yield tally of the soybean crop each year, but choosing the highest yielding variety for your area is a good place to start. How do you know which is the highest yielding? Well, on-farm performance is a good indication, but it pays to compare what else is available.... Read More
Farmers growing glyphosate-tolerant soybeans now have a new herbicide option in BASF Canada's Optill product. Optill is a pre-plant soybean herbicide that offers a fast burn-down and residual weed control of grassy and broadleaf weeds. Pre-registration trial results for Optill showed a yield increase of two to three bushels per acre compared to using glyphosate... Read More