Reading Time: 2 minutes “Matty Cowlick” is indifferent to the recent retirement of Dr. Clarence Swanton, weed scientist in the department of plant agriculture at the University of Guelph. But I’m happy for him. I’m happy that Clarence will continue with his research program and to advise graduate students, and happy that he will have more time to spend […] Read more
Pest Patrol: Thank you, Dr. Clarence Swanton
#PestPatrol with Mike Cowbrough, OMAFRA
Pest Patrol: Use your phone to capture and document pest activity
#PestPatrol with Mike Cowbrough, OMAFRA
Reading Time: 3 minutes “If you want to have the upper hand on weeds, you need to know every little detail about their existence.” The above quote is straight from the great Jack Alex, retired botany professor and herbarium curator at the Ontario Agriculture College, who used to repeat it to me at every opportunity. Fortunately, most of us […] Read more
Pest Patrol: Don’t be cheap with weed control
#PestPatrol with Mike Cowbrough, OMAFRA
Reading Time: 3 minutes “Weed control is an investment into the current and future crops on every field.” The above quote was parting advice from Norfolk and Oxford County farmer Ann Vermeersch at the 2019 FarmSmart Conference in Guelph. In front of 80 farmers and agronomists, I moderated a session with Vermeersch and Steph Kowalski, a certified crop advisor […] Read more
Pest Patrol: Sanitation of weed seed
#PestPatrol with Mike Cowbrough, OMAFRA
Reading Time: 3 minutes Q: Can we stop the spread of weed seeds? A: “I’ve been thinking a lot about sterility lately.” I knew as soon as the words came out of my mouth that I had slipped up. I was responding to a question in the audience at a local crop conference about ways to stop the movement […] Read more
Pest Patrol: Questions about sulphur deficiency
#PestPatrol with Mike Cowbrough, OMAFRA
Reading Time: 3 minutes I’m asked if growers can mix ammonium thiosulphate (ATS) with herbicides and fungicides to address sulphur deficiency symptoms, or should they apply it separately with streamer nozzles? With reductions in atmospheric sulphur deposits, Ontario research has found significant sulphur responses (10-14 bu./ac.) on some fields, while others have shown little or no response, especially where […] Read more
Pest Patrol: Managing volunteer adzuki beans
#PestPatrol with Mike Cowbrough, OMAFRA
Reading Time: 2 minutes Q: Has any work been done with controlling adzuki beans in IP, non-GMO soybeans? A: Chris Kramer and colleagues at the University of Guelph evaluated management of volunteer adzuki beans (photo at top) during a period of four seasons. The main challenge with adzuki beans is that their pods shatter easily and their seed coat […] Read more
Pest Patrol: Weed control in identity-preserved, non-GMO soybeans
#PestPatrol with Mike Cowbrough, OMAFRA
Reading Time: 2 minutes A decade of public research trials evaluating weed control in non-GMO soybeans at the University of Guelph has demonstrated that the key to success is to start with a soil-applied herbicide program that has three or more different modes of action. In Ontario, there are a number of common weeds (e.g. common ragweed, lamb’s-quarters, foxtail […] Read more
Pest Patrol: Try the stale seedbed approach for weeds in alternative crops
#PestPatrol with Mike Cowbrough, OMAFRA
Reading Time: 2 minutes Q: I’m looking to grow a new crop where there are few herbicides available to control weeds. Are there any non-chemical methods to reduce the number of weeds that could emerge in the crop? A: Since I began with OMAFRA in 2002, I’ve been involved in projects that investigated methods to control weeds in “new” […] Read more
PHOTOS: Pest Patrol: Cover crops versus glyphosate-resistant weeds
#PestPatrol with Mike Cowbrough, OMAFRA
Reading Time: < 1 minute Q: Can cover crops be an effective tool to manage glyphosate-resistant weeds? A: My colleague Dr. Clarence Swanton (University of Guelph) used to say that based on research he did in the 1980s, one should not expect to control weeds with cover crops. Their utility was in preventing soil erosion and improving soil health but […] Read more
PHOTOS: Pest Patrol: Reining in dog strangling vine
#PestPatrol with Mike Cowbrough, OMAFRA
Reading Time: 2 minutes Q: I’m seeing a weed called dog strangling vine along roadsides, in woodlots and creeping into agricultural fields. It seems quite invasive. How do I get rid of it? A: Your suspicions are correct. Dog strangling vine is invasive and is listed as a noxious weed under the Ontario Weed Control Act, and regulated as […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
