There's no information in the agricultural world that's as coveted as the weather. It informs our decisions on when to plant, when to spray, when to harvest as well as a host of other decisions. It also varies from field to field making focused and localized weather very important to all those decisions. Being able... Read More
Category: Crop Production
The pursuit of 300+ bushel corn is still very much alive. Yield competitions from a host of different companies are challenging producers to raise the bar when it comes to corn production. The difference in PRIDE Seeds 300+ Bushel Initiative is found in their "whole field" approach. Whereas most of these yield challenges push production... Read More
There is a lot going on with the insect population inside your canola field and, believe it or not, it's not all bad. The truth is that some of those little guys can be doing you a huge favour. Beneficial insect populations within your canola can oftentimes keep insect pests at levels that don't require... Read More
There is a growing concern from farmers and the industry to herbicide resistance. Whether its giant ragweed or kochia, hebicide resistance is a challenge for farmers. Currently, there is 8 different herbicide groups with confirmed resistance. According to Michael Schaad, Eastern Business Manager, BASF Canada, Glyphosate resistance was first found in the mid 90's and... Read More
Lentils are a relatively small acreage but still requires some of the technology that other crops are fortunate enough to participate in. Clearfield Lentils has been a unique partnership between Saskatchewan Pulse Growers, BASF and University of Saskatchewan's Crop Development Center. With the introduction of Clearfield lentils in 2007, farmers are quickly adopting this solution... Read More
The in-crop spraying season is just around the corner for a number of growers in Western Canada. Spraying at the proper time allows your crop to use nutrients and moisture without having to compete against various weeds, as well as allows your crop to metabolize herbicides more readily. What I want to focus on now... Read More
This week we have received some great photos from Wayne Black who farms in Huron County. We planted our corn on April 28th. Typically Wayne likes to plant his corn in the first week of May. His challenges have been weed escapes and insect pressure. Wayne is really waiting for some more rain for his... Read More
We've talked before about the damage the pea leaf weevil can do, but the current economics of peas add a sense of urgency to producers scouting and control strategies. With pea prices being as strong as they are currently, the economic threshold for spraying for the pest is lower than it ordinarily would be. Taking... Read More
We don't have top many agriculture celebrities. There are people you recognize because you see them on tv, at meetings or on YouTube but in actual fact there is not a TMZ like service following around farmers or industry people (thank goodness for that). Recently I travelled down to North Carolina to visit the Syngenta... Read More
In this episode of the Canola School, Canola Council of Canada agronomist, Troy Prosofsky discusses the issue of reseeding. Less than ideal plant stands are not good for yield but neither is late planting. It is a very difficult decision whether to reseed. When you do decide to reseed your canola you have even more... Read More