The start of the 2011 growing season was challenging to say the least. Wet weather and unseasonably cool conditions in the majority of the west had producers stressed out and wondering if they would get a crop in at all. That was the case in fact in large areas of Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Fast forward... Read More
Category: Crop Schools
Studies are underway to help winter wheat producers to improve production in a number of areas and to help expand the amount of acres being grown by farmers across the west. The two year study by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and the Alberta Winter Wheat Producers Commission will look at a number of factors that... Read More
When you consider the temperatures across the prairies even a month ago, it's hard to believe we'd be here now talking about the effects of high temperature on canola. That's the nature of life on the prairies though. While prolonged periods of high heat may not be in the cards for most of the prairies,... Read More
Wet conditions over the past few years have brought the importance of fungicide back on to the producers radar. Those conditions are the final piece of the puzzle diseases like sclerotinia need to get established and cause real damage to canola. The devastating results of fungal diseases are helping producers to realize the importance of... Read More
Stripe rust is one of those diseases that has been around for a while, but hasn't really been that much of a threat. A few new developments with regards to the disease may have changed that. Firstly, resistance to stripe rust in one variety of winter wheat was found to be ineffective. Second, the disease... Read More
Is there a yield ceiling on wheat? In this episode of the Wheat School we put that question to Phil Needham of Needham Ag Technologies. The answer to that question is not as simple as a blanket yes or no. With every field and every farmer being different, that question is best answered by the... Read More
The Cereal Leaf beetle seems to be rearing its ugly head in winter and spring wheat fields near Bolton, Stayner and Seaforth, Ontario. Tracey Baute, OMAFRA Entomologist and author of Bautebugblog.com reports threshold levels of the pest in those fields, with significant feeding seen on the flagleaf. Baute recommends spraying infested winter wheat with insecticides... Read More
Sclerotinia has the potential to be a big issue in rain soaked areas across the prairies. The disease tends to be prevalent in wet conditions in temperatures between 15 - 25 degrees. Sclerotia spores can live in the soil for up to four years. The spores germinate in the summer and release wind borne spores... Read More
Conditions across a portion of the prairies have created a kind of "perfect storm" when it comes to conditions for weed growth. Cool conditions have delayed emergence of a number of weeds, causing them to be missed in a pre-seed burn scenario. Wet conditions have kept farmers from getting in to spray in a timely... Read More
In this episode of the Wheat School, we head to Regina to talk with Syngenta Technical Field Manager Robert Klewchuk about control strategies for wild oats. Wild oats act as scavengers in your wheat stand. They can steal valuable nutrients from your crop, affecting yields and crop development. While a pre-seed burn has been effective... Read More