Ontario farmers continue to wage war with fusarium head blight (FHB). The battle is far from over, as evidenced by the disease’s impact on the provincial wheat crop in 2013. But with an ever-expanding management toolbox farmers are now in a much better position to defend their crops, says University of Guelph Associate Professor David... Read More
Category: Crops
If there was some way of measuring trending topics in farmer conversations in Western Canada over the past six months, "so, are you growing peas this year?" would be at or near the top. Thanks to the very strong prices that are accompanying a global pulse shortage, a record number of pea (and lentil) acres... Read More
There's a new name for the canola disease that first showed up in Canada in a research plot in Manitoba in 2014. Caused by the fungus Verticillium longisporum, the disease was referred to by its common name in Europe: verticillium wilt. The problem is it doesn't appear to cause wilting in canola. "The symptoms that... Read More
In this week’s Word, Peter Johnson, resident agronomist for RealAgriculture, examines everything from weather impacts to phosphorous management. And yes, you do have some homework this week. Have a question for Wheat Pete? Call 1-888-746-3311, send him a tweet (@wheatpete), or email him at peter.johnson@bell.net. Highlights: 01:00 Flooding in Ontario. Erosion, erosion, erosion. 01:57 Red... Read More
Fifteen years ago, University of Guelph’s Dr. Clarence Swanton helped revolutionize weed control with his pioneering research on the critical weed-free period for soybeans and corn. Essentially, Swanton helped usher in the thinking that weeds that emerge with or shortly after the crop cause irreversible yield loss. He defined the critical weed-free period as 1st... Read More
Editor's note: The Canadian verticillium stakeholders committee has decided to call the disease caused by Verticillium longisporum "verticillium stripe" instead of "verticillium wilt." This story has been updated to reflect the new terminology. The canola industry is in the early stages of understanding what it's up against with a new fungal disease. Verticillium stripe (previously... Read More
Canadian farmers are still wondering whether they’ll get a chance to plant Roundup Ready 2 Xtend soybeans this spring. They’ll likely get their answer in mid-April. In February, Monsanto Canada announced it had received import approval from China for the glyphosate and dicamba tolerant soybeans, giving the company the confidence to ensure Canadian farmers that... Read More
In this week’s Word, Peter Johnson, resident agronomist for RealAgriculture, examines everything from erosion and weird wheat to cover crop management and insect pests. Have a question for Wheat Pete? Call 1-888-746-3311, send him a tweet (@wheatpete), or email him at peter.johnson@bell.net. Highlights: There are huge amounts of erosion in high tillage zones in Ontario.... Read More
For this episode of Under the Microscope, we take you into the depths of BioVision Seed Labs' Sherwood Park laboratory, to hear last minute seed test recommendations from Sydney Vos, marketing coordinator with BioVision. In the video, Vos gives an overview of four of the most important tests to consider, including: Germination Cool Stress Vigour... Read More
Consistent planting depth and even emergence — it’s every corn grower's goal, but it can be difficult to achieve. In this Corn School episode, AGRIS Co-operative agronomist Dale Cowan takes a close look at the impact planter down force can play in helping (or hindering) growers in their quest for an evenly spaced, picket fence... Read More