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
Category: Crop Production
Investing in a sectional control option on a new seeder isn't an inexpensive proposition, however, you may change your perception of the true cost once you see just how much it can save you. Chris Morson, with Seed Hawk, took Shaun Haney on a tour of Seed Hawk's software program that incorporates Google Earth images... Read More
Ken Ferrie wants you to slow the planter down. And then stop. Yes, really. While the planting season is a hectic one, rushing, especially in wet conditions, is a recipe for disaster. Ferrie, an independent agronomist, wants farmers to slow down and better match planter speed to planting conditions. What's more, he wants you to... Read More
A soil test is an excellent starting point for any fertility plan, but interpreting the results can leave some people scratching their heads. There are several strategies to soil sampling itself — analysis and recommendation strategies vary as well. One Saskatchewan company takes a somewhat different approach to testing and recommendations, using made-in-Saskatchewan technology. In... Read More
Seeding (or planting for our eastern and southern friends) is the single most important pass you'll make on your field this year. The piece of equipment you chose to place and pack seeds typically has to work for all the crops in your rotation, and that can mean using something better suited for large seeds... Read More
Farmers hit with aster yellows in 2012 aren't likely to soon forget the devastation high infection rates can cause. The trickiest aspect of the disease is how futile it is to try and control it. The phytoplasma, carried on the aster leafhopper, is passed quickly from insect to plant and then the insect moves on.... Read More
Most farmers would find selling the farm and moving a province over a significant undertaking. What about moving an entire continent away? Would you do it? That's what Stuart Barden did. After visiting Kenya during his Nuffield Scholar tour in 2009 and being wowed by the beautiful black soil and diverse landscape, Barden packed up... Read More
Tillage Radish, a large-rooted cover crop, is one we've talked about before on RealAgriculture.com. Kevin Elmy walked us through how he and his neighbours are making use of the crop in Saskatchewan. In this video, filmed at Farm Tech 2013, Patrick Fabian explains how farmers in his area of Alberta are making use of this... Read More
The world almost ended twice in 2012. Farmers had to beware of the Mayan calendar but also earlier in the year the CWB officially lost it's monopoly on the sale of wheat in Canada. Some people predicted armageddon, while others believed that the benefits were huge. Chuck Penner, LeftField Commodity Research talked to me on... Read More
Western Canada is the leader in pulse production but there is some discussion regarding the potential of the Black Sea region to put a dent in Canadian exports. This week I was on the Saskatchewan Pulse Growers Regional meeting tour and I heard a very interesting presentation from Marlene Boersch, Mercantile Consulting Venture on the... Read More