Few crops are hyper-competitive right off the start. A cool spring can also mean that the crop you want to take off doesn't, and the weeds get a head start. This is especially true of winter annuals which begin growing as soon as the snow recedes, but also applies to spring germinating weeds as well.... Read More
Category: Crops
There's a right way and a wrong way to get rid of treated seed. Using up most of what you have is a logical first step, but even the few kernels left in bins, trucks or augers could cause you major headaches down the line. Canada's grain handling system has a zero tolerance level for... Read More
We've finally got a crop up in Western Canada, but as soon as those tiny canola plants emerge the attacks begin. Seedling blights are one concern at the establishment phase, but flea beetles can be a huge threat to the canola crop. In this episode of the Canola School, Lyndsey Smith is joined by Canola... Read More
Just when you thought Canola School and Canola Watch couldn't get any better, we go and combine the best of both worlds in this audio version of the Canola School! That's right, in this episode of Canola School, Real Agriculture editor Lyndsey Smith is joined by Canola Watch editor, Jay Whetter, to talk about at... Read More
In 1996, Jacob van der Schaaf, a Dutch immigrant to Canada, and his daughter Angela Santiago planted a small, one-acre plot of potatoes just outside Edmonton, Alberta. It was an experiment meant to test the waters of the potential potato market in Alberta, and was obviously an overwhelming success. Today, Jacob runs Tuberosum Technologies and... Read More
The Canadian Grain Commission recently announced upcoming changes to tolerance levels for Ergot, Sclerotinia and Fusarium. The new levels will help create uniformity and simplify assessment. “These grading changes are not only uniform between Eastern and Western Canada, they also ensure Canada’s grain continues to uphold its reputation for quality and safety." said Elwin Hermanson,... Read More
Tank mixing crop protection products has been an important practice for western Canadian agriculture for a very long time; it allows us to manage weed resistance, control grassy and broadleaf weeds in an efficient one-pass system, and possibly manage nutrition and disease at the same time. The downside is that the chemistries sometimes can be... Read More
Winnipeg-based Canterra Seeds has announced a major increase in its internal research and product development (R&PD) program. "We are set for some dramatic changes in our research program, in both scope and depth. In 2014, we will be testing five times as many potential varieties as in 2013, including a significant amount of material from... Read More
I promise at some point to jump off this Rotation Bandwagon and start talking about something else agronomy-related, but for now, humour me while I beat this ailing-but-still-alive-but-just-barely horse. Where was I? Oh, yes. Rotation. In my last podcast, featuring Randy Kutcher, we learned many things about plant pathology — how genetic resistance to a... Read More
Every year, North American farmers adopt more technology, enabling precision, efficiency and, in some cases, more holiday time. Even those with intensive management systems can control and monitor some of the operation from a distance. This is certainly becoming the case with irrigation systems, with a few apps and precision technologies now competing on the... Read More