Former Agriculture and Agri-Food bean breeder Dr. Ali Navabi has been named as the new professor in wheat breeding at the University of Guelph. Dr. Navabi has been acting as a bean breeder in the AAFC/University of Guelph Bean Breeding Program since 2008. “We are proud to see this initiative come to fruition through the... Read More
Category: Crops
There's nothing quite like demo plots — where else will you find head to head comparisons of one variety or practice compared against its neighbour? The trouble with plots, though, is that you only usually see them once and then have to wait for data months later to find out what the real difference was... Read More
As the snow retreats (quickly now, get on with you), it's time to get out there and take a good look at the winter wheat stand. There is such thing as doing a winterkill evaluation too early, but, depending on the method you use, you could need up to two weeks to get a good... Read More
A pre-seed burn down is often the first pass on a field. Some may overlook the importance of getting a strong burn-down, but in reality it can be a huge detriment if some components get overlooked. And if you're going to do a job, you should do it well. Why does a pre-seed burn-down matter?... Read More
It's early April and farmers are itching to get the planter out in the field. For the precious few of you in Ontario that are nearly ready to roll, have at 'er, but for most of the corn growing region, it's not late yet, but it's looking like the planting window may be slightly compressed.... Read More
Despite efforts to explain pesticides’ role in modern agriculture, confusion still reigns supreme in the eyes of the public. And no wonder. Pesticides get blamed for a lot of things; most recently, for wiping out bees. That accusation caught the Province of Ontario's attention last summer and fall, when wildly fluctuating accounts of bee mortality... Read More
If you're overwhelmed by trying to keep track of every new crop protection product, formulation, tank-mix and re-cropping restriction, you're not alone. While many farmers and agronomists have a well-marked-up copy of the Guide to Crop Protection, could there be a place for technology to make selecting crop production products easier? Absolutely! Enter Ag-Chem Expert.... Read More
UAP’s new Focus herbicide is now registered for soybeans. The surface-applied pre-plant/pre-emerge product was first registered for corn in late 2013. Focus is a co-pack of carfentrazone (Group 14) and pyroxasulfone (Group 15) that delivers up to 60 days of residual control, says UAP territory sales representative Chris Renwick. Focus controls tough weeds like barnyard... Read More
Are you seeding your canola at 5lb/ac? Unless your seed rate was calculated based on that seed lot's thousand kernel weight (TKW), you may be losing yield potential, as plant numbers decline with increasing seed size. Angela Brackenreed, agronomy specialist with the Canola Council of Canada, suggests re-calibrating when the TKW of a seed lot... Read More
Whether you've recently purchased a planter, or you're bringing it out of hibernation, making sure it's in good working order is essential to good establishment. Besides greasing, checking hydraulic hoses and vacuuming mouse-made nests, you should also check that the planter is running level, and with the correct amount of down pressure. Related: The Pros... Read More