This year, the organizers of the Crop Diagnostic School in Carman, Manitoba, decided to do something a little old-school. “We decided to demo soil-applied herbicides here at the farm this year for the Diagnostic School, in part because we’re seeing an increased use in the products,” Jeanette Gaultier explains in the following interview. Gaultier (who... Read More
Category: Video
By now you've watched our video on determining when to desiccate faba beans, and perhaps you're gearing up to go ahead. Now the all-important next question: what to spray? Well, according to Robyne Bowness, pulse research scientist with Alberta Agriculture and Forestry, there are currently only two options for drying-down faba beans: diquat (a desiccant)... Read More
According to speakers at last week's Canola Galla in Penhold, AB, a single gram of soil (roughly the size of a Smartie) can contain hundreds --- if not thousands or even millions --- of resting clubroot spores. And, those resting spores can survive up to 20 years in the soil, spreading by catching rides on... Read More
While you're in the field checking canola to see if it's ready to be cut, or perhaps already swathing or harvesting it, it's also a good time to assess the toll disease took on your crop. Sclerotinia, blackleg and clubroot can all cause premature ripening, as disease symptoms become more obvious at the end of... Read More
If you're looking out over your faba bean crop and can't help but scratch your head over whether or not it's ready to desiccate, you're not alone. Desiccant timing for all pulse crops is tricky — too early and you risk destroying yield potential; too late and you've lost time, leaving the crop open to... Read More
Tile drainage in North America has traditionally been installed with a single-leg plow that rips a vertical groove in the soil as it lays the pipe in the ground. Depending on soil type and moisture conditions, the single-shank will disturb the soil and leave a rut or soft spot that can take years to settle.... Read More
Phosphorus deficiency is a common problem with corn planted into a rotation following canola. In its early stages, corn relies on mycorrhizae to help with the majority of phosphorus uptake. The trouble with corn following canola is that canola and other crucifer plants are not hosts for micorrhizae, so the beneficial fungi populations must be... Read More
Hot conditions can have an impact on both yield and quality in canola, making timing more important when swathing or straight-cutting the crop. Much of Western Canada has experienced a mid-August heat wave, with fields maturing rapidly in the heat. For canola, this means the time to cut can sneak up quickly. In this Canola... Read More
With new dicamba and 2,4-D herbicide options for corn and soybeans on the horizon, spray application specialist Tom Wolf notes there are some important management practices to consider. Both dicamba and 2,4-D are synthetic auxins, falling into the Group 4 classification of herbicides. Like others in the category, they induce abnormal and uncontrollable growth in... Read More
The Kelly Diamond Harrow was yet another implement demoed at Ag in Motion last month. The tool is used with the goal of returning crop residue to the soil, accelerating breakdown and improving soil organic carbon levels, all without the depth of most tillage implements. Each mulching chain link contains an abrasive-resistant concave disc, designed... Read More