The risk of herbicide carry over can sometimes be overlooked when changing cropping plans or trying something new, but herbicide residue can have a drastic impact on susceptible crops, sometimes as long as years after application. Chemical breakdown times vary, subject to soil temperature and moisture. For some chemicals, susceptible crops can be seeded shortly... Read More

Soybean varieties that are tolerant to both glyphosate and dicamba herbicides are one step closer to being introduced to the North American market. The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced its decision on January 15th to deregulate Monsanto’s Roundup Ready 2 Xtend soybean trait, meaning the company’s glyphosate and dicamba-tolerant soybeans have now received regulatory consent... Read More

Do you plan on taking a nitrate-nitrogen soil samples this spring, before planting? The test for nitrate-nitrogen levels can provide key information in how much fertilizer should be applied for a growing corn crop. And, making that decision gets easier and easier. The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) has a handy... Read More

Change happens fast in agriculture. Just a century ago, Canadian farmers were behind a horse and plow. Today, we talk about cab comfort, the potential for unmanned aerial vehicle spraying, smart phone apps and biotechnology. The seed industry is no different. The process of collecting and testing a sample of seed is continually evolving as... Read More

While wheat breeders have traditionally focused on improving agronomic and milling characteristics of the crop, there's value to be gained by the wheat industry in focusing on nutrition as well, says a cereal research scientist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. The nutritional characteristics of wheat have generally remained unchanged while yield potential, disease resistance and... Read More

If Ottawa squandered $870,000 on some meaningless or questionable initiative, media and other critics would climb down politicians’ throats. But when it decides to do something good for farmers, for the nation and even for the world with that amount of money – such as Tuesday’s funding announcement for research into what are called “pulse”... Read More

More than $10 million in government and producer funding for crop-related research was announced during the CropSphere meetings in Saskatoon on Tuesday. After announcing $3.3 million for Pulse Canada's marketing efforts, Federal Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz joined Saskatchewan Ag Minister Lyle Stewart to pledge almost $6.9 million for 42 crop research projects through the Saskatchewan... Read More