Syngenta recently received Canadian regulatory approval for Agrisure Viptera 3220 E-Z Refuge trait stack in corn. The Agrisure Viptera 3220 trait stack offers dual modes of action for control of multiple lepidopteran pests, such as black cutworm, western bean cutworm and fall armyworm, and corn borer. Each bag contains 95% seed of a corn hybrid... Read More
Category: Crop Production
At nearly every field day for the past few years in Saskatchewan, the presenting agronomist would hold up a mangled canola head and ask, "Can anyone tell me what this is?" Most farmers would look closer, but few had an answer. Being from Manitoba, I'd pipe up, "Aster yellows." Aster yellows is relatively common in... Read More
"How do I figure out when to swath my canola?" is one of those questions that comes up every year without fail. It's a question that doesn't have a broad, simple answer, which is why it's restated every year. Even though there are over 20 million acres of canola in Western Canada producers still struggle... Read More
We've talked a lot about the effect of the extreme hot and dry weather on Ontario corn and soybean producers, but forage crops have taken a huge hit as well. That damage has been softened a bit lately by the effects of much needed rains, but it also leaves producers in a spot where they... Read More
This week Ray Prock (California Dairy farmer), Kelly Rivard (farm blogger), Jim Doolittle (agronomist), and Michael Yezzi (pig farmer) participated in a segment on Huffington Post Live discussing the US corn drought of 2012. See the segment here. Besides the fact that the host pronounces bushels incorrectly the segment is a really good first hand... Read More
While much of Manitoba's canola crop is already in the swath or being combined, Alberta and Saskatchewan fields are at or approaching proper swath timing. Unfortunately, late season pests like bertha armyworm are also building substantially in many areas. Why is this an issue? Because of the pre-harvest interval (PHI) required for many insecticide products.... Read More
The major advantage of any pre-seed burn type of scenario can be summed up in two words: breathing room. Any type of weed control strategy that offers residual control gives you margin when you need it most. When early spring weather makes it impossible to for other producers to get in the field, producers who... Read More
Every farmer at some point in their career has to deal with gremlins. From the moment you park your machinery it's a virtual free for all of loosening bolts, fraying belts and poking holes in things. That's why every year at seeding, sure enough, as soon as you take that equipment out to use it,... Read More
Stopping the spread of clubroot takes diligence. If you're in an area where there is a clubroot presence, it's important to get out and scout your fields regularly looking for signs of infection. If you don't know you have it, you may unknowingly spread it through soil transfer from equipment moving field to field. If... Read More
Farmers rely on science to find solutions to crop stresses, such as resistant varieties against disease or pests or new active ingredients to attack weeds and diseases. While using Mother Nature's own flora and fauna in our favour is not a new concept (think inoculants), using naturally occurring bacteria and fungi to combat pests is... Read More