If ever we needed a new curse word, let me humbly suggest kochia. If you thought it was tough to kill before, it's quickly becoming even more difficult. As Clark Brenzil, provincial weed specialist with Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture, explains, not only should kochia be taken off the label of every Group 2 herbicide, it's... Read More
Category: Western Canada
It sounds a little out there — plants talking to each other, warning them to arm themselves against predators and biotic stress, but it's real. The research into plant communication is actually decades old, but for some time it was largely ignored by the research community. That is, until now. Rob Saik, president of the... Read More
Ever wonder what the Canola Council of Canada does and who is involved? RealAgriculture.com caught up with Patti Miller, president of the council, to ask her those questions and many more. For example, 2012 was in some ways a fantastic year for the crop — a huge number of acres went in and planned crush... Read More
New Year's Eve held much excitement in U.S. politics, not because of any ball drop or extravagant party, but because of a late-night crunch session to hammer out a tax bill that would pull the U.S. from the so-called "Fiscal Cliff" of mandatory cost cutting and tax hikes. Included in the last-minute agreement was an... Read More
Proper tank clean-out is a key aspect of avoiding herbicide injury, but the waste water created from tank cleaning needs to be handled responsibly to avoid unwanted plant injury or water contamination. Using a biobed — essentially a clay-lined, dedicated area rich in microbes where tank water is emptied for further degradation by microbes —... Read More
Steve Laroque is starting to see some significant differences on his farm north of Drumheller, Alta., after three consecutive years of practicing controlled traffic farming. After learning some hard lessons in the first few seasons — their measurements were off when setting up a hitch for inter-row seeding — 2012 offered a glimpse at some... Read More
The 2013 wheat midge forecast map is now live on the Alberta Agriculture website, Ropin the Web. This forecast is based on 298 soil samples taken in the fall after harvest. Indications are that wheat midge will be more of a concern for 2013 than it was for 2012. Midge numbers have increased and they... Read More
To the surprise of likely very few, the year's top post on RealAgriculture.com is one full of fun and frivolity. The Peterson Brothers' parody of Psy's "Gangham Style" went viral shortly after it was released and currently has 11 million views on YouTube. Of course, we're not all about fun and games, and the Top... Read More
The last few weeks of the year would not be complete without a Top 10 or two. While Shaun Haney and Lyndsey Smith have already weighed in with their thoughts on the top news stories of the year, we thought we'd also offer up what our viewers and readers watched most in 2012. Without further... Read More
2012 is winding down, but optimism and fed cattle prices are up. Heading into to 2013, the Canadian beef cattle industry looks strong, although high feed prices are still weighing on the market. Our American friends are still struggling with a drought that isn't resolving quickly, which may offer some support to prices in the... Read More