Once peas have emerged and get growing, it's time to scout for pea leaf weevil feeding. Feeding by adult pea leaf weevils creates notches on the clam shell leaves, but it's the damage done by larvae feeding on the roots that causes economic losses in pea crops. Pea leaf weevil is not an issue in... Read More
Category: Western Canada
Today at Canada's Farm Show, Farm Credit Canada announced a $5 million commitment to the accelerated breeding program at the Global Institute for Food Security (GIFS) at the University of Saskatchewan (USask). The program will now bear the name "The FCC Accelerated Breeding Program at GIFS." Accelerated breeding combines technologies such as genomic selection, speed... Read More
As Canadians, we pride ourselves on our clean water, living skies, the Rockies, maple syrup, playing hockey, and saying sorry. There are other things to be proud of too, like our democracy and our ability to grow food for the world's population. It would seem, though, that when one or more of these points of... Read More
Producers in much of Western Canada are looking forward to warmer weather to help crops advance through the early stages after a cool seeding season and delays in seeding. For canola, slow emergence and growth due to cool temperatures, combined with wind damage in some areas, makes tiny plants a sitting target for flea beetles.... Read More
While fungicide resistance evolves similarly to herbicide resistance, it can be more challenging to assess given the patchy nature of disease infection across a field, the decreased incidence of disease in dry years, and the multiple lifecycles some pulse diseases complete in a year. Bethany Wyatt, senior technical service specialist with BASF, says that Group... Read More
Former U.S. president Ronald Reagan popularized the phrase "trust, but verify" in the context of the Cold War, but similar logic applies in the active battle against increasingly-prevalent glyphosate-resistant kochia. It's a safe assumption to trust that kochia is glyphosate-resistant in much of Western Canada, but there's still value in verifying, says Ian Epp, agronomy... Read More
Sclerotinia is one of the most challenging diseases for growers to manage in canola, and in soybeans, where it appears in the form of white mould. In both crops, field history and moisture are two key drivers of the disease. Hit play and watch/listen to this episode on sclerotinia and white mould featuring Chris Manchur... Read More
The latest Saskatchewan crop report, dated May 30th, shows farmers have made significant seeding progress. According to the report, 77 per of seeding is now complete, though this remains behind the five-year average of 91 per cent and the ten-year average of 89 percent. Despite these figures, crop emergence is reported to be in excellent... Read More
Two John Deere dealers in Alberta have announced plans to merge their operations under a new banner next month. Martin Deerline and Agland plan to combine their businesses under the new name "Horizon Ag and Turf," effective July 31, 2024, pending all necessary approvals. Founded in 1965, Martin Deerline has 10 locations across the province:... Read More
A plant growth regulator (PGR) can play a key role in helping growers manage the impact of lodging in spring and winter wheat crops. But growers have plenty of management decisions to consider to effectively use a PGR to reduce lodging, increase harvestability and protect and increase grain yield. Reducing lodging starts with selecting a... Read More