So you're thinking of switching to a wider row spacing for next year's soybeans. Have you taken your hula hoop around this year's crop first? Though there isn't necessarily an "ideal" row spacing suggested for western Canadian soybean growers, the importance of knowing a target plant population and assessing stand establishment is still essential. Related:…Read More
Category: Video
Seed companies have big plans for the expansion of corn acres in Western Canada, but whether farmers plant more corn will depend on two key factors: maturity and yield. Monsanto Canada announced just over a year ago that it's spending more than $100 million over 10 years on developing varieties suitable for the Canadian prairies.... Read More
Protecting honeybees and pollinators is a key focus for Ontario farmers. Limiting exposure of the bees to certain insecticides, namely neonicotinoid-based corn and soybean seed treatments, plays an important role in a thriving bee population in the province. Corn planter air exhaust has been identified as a possible risk to moving neonicotinoid particles off the... Read More
A better understanding of soil properties like electrical conductivity, organic matter and pH levels can go a long way in precision agriculture applications. As Veris Technologies president Eric Lund explains in the following video, mapping these properties is useful in variable rate fertilizer application, as well as for site-specific management when seeding, applying lime or... Read More
With canola swathing underway across Western Canada, now is the time for growers to assess the toll that diseases have taken on the crop. The “what to look for” list at this time includes the main suspects: blackleg, sclerotinia and clubroot. In this episode of the Canola School, Keith Gabert of the Canola Council of…Read More
If ever you've heard anyone say that new agriculture and food traits aren't regulated or tested, you'll want them to watch the following interview. A key aspect of this year's Momentum Tour, put on by Monsanto Canada, was the roll-out of two new crop traits — TruFlex canola and Xtend soybeans. Sharp-eyed readers will note... Read More
Storing grain in bags has certainly caught on in popularity in recent years, however temporary storage does create one possibly permanent problem — what do you do with the grain bag itself? Recycling is an option for many grain farmers (re-using it as a slip and slide isn’t typically an option if you’re unloading in... Read More
If you've never been to Canada's Outdoor Farm Show, or it's been a long time since you've gone, Real Agriculture's Bern Tobin spent a day on the grounds talking with those in the know about the 2014 show set to start in just two weeks — September 9, 2014. From where you should stop first,... Read More
They're small, quick, with piercing/sucking mouth parts that can make a real mess of canola seeds — that's right, we're talking lygus bugs. As Keith Gabert explains in this Canola School, there are several factors to consider when scouting for lygus bugs. First, environmental conditions like wind or heat can make numbers seem lower than... Read More
One of the few Latin American countries to expand agricultural production since the mid-1900s, Brazil's deforestation has long been in the limelight of global scrutiny. The vast topographical change is concerning, but with the agricultural industry so important to the Brazilian economy, it's easy to see there are incredible economic incentives fuelling the destruction. Commodities... Read More