If you attended this year's canolaPALOOZA in Lacombe, you might still be singing Don Ho's Tiny Bubbles. The 1966 release drifted through the air alongside hundreds, if not thousands, of tiny iridescent soap bubbles. The bubbles — and the hit earworm — were part of a spray demonstration that was organized to help producers visualize... Read More
Category: Podcasts
A taller than normal pulse crop in Western Canada this year could require a different approach for managing drydown. "This year we do have pulse crops that are enormous," notes Rob Klewchuck, technical lead for Western Canada with Syngenta, in the video below. With tall plants and thick canopies, a desiccant like diquat (eg. Reglone... Read More
There's a new way to control gophers on the prairies, and it doesn't require you to properly dispose of carcasses or clean up shells. It's called RoCon and it's a foaming rodenticide registered by Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency for the control of Richardson’s ground squirrels and Norway rats. "We have two...main active ingredients.... Read More
As the list of herbicide-tolerance traits in soybeans grows, so does the risk of off-target herbicide applications. For many years, most soybeans in North America have been glyphosate-tolerant, with the exception in areas that grow conventional soybeans for the food market. But LibertyLink glufosinate-tolerant soybeans are being planted on some acres and Monsanto plans to... Read More
Much of Canadian agriculture is seeing a heat wave this week, and along with it, some powerful storms. With winter wheat harvest around the corner in the west, wheat harvest is humming along in Ontario, with yields coming in over 130 bu/ac. Versatile's most famous tractor made its public debut at Ag in Motion, ag... Read More
Wheat harvest is moving along quickly which is why we're a day late with the Word again this week. In this update, Peter Johnson, RealAg's resident agronomist, discusses the incredible wheat results and how to manage those fields after harvest, western bean cutworm and other insects of concern, and how the drought is affecting corn... Read More
When soybean aphids start multiplying in soybean fields, the decision to spray is typically triggered by the number of aphids found on each plant. The threshold for growers in Western Canada is usually reached when there are an average of 250 aphids per plant on 80 percent of the plants. The population should still be... Read More
If there was a "celebrity" category for machinery, Versatile's one-of-a-kind four-axle, articulated tractor might top the list. Nearly everyone who passed by it at Ag in Motion this week stopped to take or pose for a photo with "Big Roy." As part of the company's 50th anniversary celebration, Versatile unveiled the fully-restored 600 horsepower machine... Read More
Soil microbes require carbon to grow. And they're not picky where that carbon comes from. To demonstrate microbial activity as it relates to soil health, Manitoba Agriculture soil management specialist Marla Riekman and some colleagues buried what she calls "an indicator material" in various locations this spring. Their material of choice: cotton, specifically the soft,... Read More
"Herbicide layering" looks to be an effective approach to managing hard-to-control cleavers in pulses. As Eric Johnson, weed scientist at the University of Saskatchewan, explains in this Pulse School episode, herbicide layering is the application of different modes of action sequentially. It usually involves a pre-seed soil-applied herbicide, such as sulfentrazone, ethalflurolin or pyroxasulfone, ,... Read More