Category: Crop Production

When we talk about the total package approach in any crop breeding program, we mean that every effort has to balance a number of key elements, not taking away from any of them while trying to add to all of them. In chickpea, as with most crops, those efforts are directed at the areas of... Read More

Clubroot is gaining traction in Alberta and continues to spread each year. The first line of defense against the spread of clubroot is awareness. That has to include information on identification and prevention in order to be truly effective. That's why events like the Canola Galla are important. The event was all about getting producers... Read More

Any crop breeding program is a balancing act. For every problem you look to address, you potentially open the door to new and unexpected ones or risk losing desired traits. The more traits you try and breed into a crop, the more you have to think about how those traits affect each other. That's the... Read More

There really is no substitute for getting into your fields. You hear agronomists constantly banging that drum. That's because there really is no substitute for getting into your fields. This is especially true when you're trying to make a decision on when to swath your canola. A drive-by appraisal of the field just won't cut... Read More

The threat of glyphosate resistance continues to plague growers with weeds like glyphosate resistant Canada fleabane spreading throughout Ontario. If left unchecked, the weed has the potential to become a much bigger problem in Ontario and eventually other parts of Canada as well. That's where a "big picture" approach has to be brought in at... Read More

The last six weeks have been extremely dry throughout parts of Ontario. Crops across the board have suffered as hopes for bumper yields have been deflated by the stress of prolonged hot and dry conditions. Corn in particular started with a great deal of promise, but now sits in a grey area as to how... Read More

I was combing through my Twitter feed last night and thought that it felt a little like Y2K — would the stroke of midnight bring certain doom as many monopoly supporters would have had us believe or would the sun rise, just like any other day? Of course, today — the first day of the... Read More

Canola acreage has shot up over the past couple of years and with the price right now it can be one of the most profitable crops on the farm. The research that goes into canola is phenomenal and has allowed yield averages to soar in the last few years. But there are still some myths... Read More

The US drought is causing much concern for farmers and the impending impact on food prices in the next 12 months. It can be difficult to sometimes get a handle on how bad this year is in comparison. Its always easy to say, "this is bad but nothing like 88 or 34." Sometimes a graphic... Read More

The Ontario corn crop was really off to the races. There was optimal planting dates, early timely rains and the crop looked fantastic. And then KABOOM!!!!! The Ontario corn crop is now subject to some of the same stresses as its US counterpart. Dry hot weather has really impacted the Ontario corn crop moving the... Read More