According to Neil Harker, research assistant with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, wild oat management through herbicide application costs western Canadian producers around $500 million annually. Herbicide resistance in many weed biotypes is cropping up — resistance within wild oat populations has been nagging at farmers' fields for years and is spreading. How can we combat…Read More
Category: Western Canada
It’s great to see farm groups take a public position. Their members want to hear from them, and increasingly, so does the public, especially when these groups are represented by real farmers. Even better yet is when a farm group’s concerns mesh with the public’s understanding of the status quo – such as border crossing... Read More
With growth like we've seen in the last five to 10 years, buying farm land is as close as you can get to a sure bet, right? While it's true that money invested in land recently has returned far more than you'd make in more public investments, it doesn't mean the investment is without risk.…Read More
Though it has not been grown in nearly a decade, wheat containing the Roundup Ready gene has been reportedly found in an Oregon, U.S., field by the USDA. The Roundup Ready wheat was field tested many years ago by Monsanto in the state from 1999 to 2005, but the crop was never approved for commercial... Read More
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
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