The Canadian Wheat Alliance was announced on May 16 and will provide $97M worth of funding over five years for wheat research. The effort will combine expertise from each of: the National Research Council, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, the province of Saskatchewan and the University of Saskatchewan. "Wheat research has lagged a bit," says Lyle... Read More
Category: Western Canada
Towering yellow-flowered plants in a soybean field don't just look a bit out of place, these volunteer canola plants are actually competing with the crop and using valuable soil nutrients. Just how much of an impact this has on final soybean yield is important to know, as, just like with any pest, it's important to... Read More
While seeding may be running a wee bit behind average for many, the long days and warmer soil can mean crops pop up quite quickly. In Manitoba, many canola fields are pushing through in about a week, which makes now a great time to start scouting for a number of things, like flea beetle feeding... Read More
As we discussed last week, biq seeders and planters have stepped up to make sure that the crop gets planted on time across the United States and Canada. It has made me think about all the times we have asked the question of "how big is too big?" in the past. Here are some videos... Read More
Does your farm have the cleavers? In this episode of the Pulse School, Ken Sapsford, research assistant at the University of Saskatchewan, explains issues surrounding the abundance of cleavers across the prairies. With the shift towards no-till farming practices, cleavers, which were once considered a summer annual, are now overwintering, particularly in the presence of... Read More
According to the Manitoba government update, farmers made good seeding progress over the past week. Seeding is estimated to be 75% to 80% complete in the Southwest Region, 80% complete in the Northwest Region, 70-85% complete in the Central Region, 85% complete in the Eastern Region and 75-80% complete in the Interlake Region. In areas... Read More
There are good weeks and then there are poor weeks. Last week the US implemented its new rules to COOL. The Canadian and US industries feel strongly that these remedies are un-called for. Lyndsey Smith and Anne Wasko discuss the implementation of COOL in the latest edition of the CDN Beef Market Update. If you... Read More
The seeding pass is the most important one you make on your fields. This is true for annual crops, but perhaps even more so for perennial crops as these fields may need to produce for four, five or several more years. What's more, forages can be quite tricky to establish, as the seeds are typically... Read More
There is such thing as too early to plant soybeans, as the crop does not fare well in cool conditions (one researcher likened it to the germinating seed having a "heart attack"). More commonly, however, we're worried about going in too late, as even the short season varieties are a tad on the long side... Read More
Oftentimes after seeding is finished there is a push to move right into herbicide mode, but you should be getting into the habit of checking out plant stands as soon as possible. How a crop emerges and establishes tells the story of seeder settings, soil management or early insect pressure, so it is a great... Read More