Reading Time: 6 minutes In the midst of a renaissance in soil health, researchers, agronomists and extension personnel have been pushing the message that everything a grower does in a field is connected to everything else. Fertility is linked to planting depth, just as mycorrhizal fungi are connected to weed management. Nothing happens on its own without some effect […] Read more
New directions in cover crops
Today, factors like microbial interactions and soil quality are influencing choices and practices
Can innovation soothe consumer fears?
CRISPR promises huge potential gains for the entire world, but first it must develop signs of consumer acceptance
Reading Time: 7 minutes Agriculture has done a better job of creating advanced genetics than of gaining public acceptance for them. Ever since the arrival of Bt corn and RR soybeans, growers have seen yield increases and simplified weed and pest management spread across crops and across the country. Yet in 2020, a segment of society still opposes those […] Read more
‘Sky-high’ technology takes to new heights
Hmmm… If drones are good, would a nanosatellite be even better?
Reading Time: 6 minutes With every piece of equipment and every line of computer software that the precision ag sector creates, farmers are playing catch-up. Yes, it’s exciting to learn about new technology and the endless possibilities around the corner, but in the real world, that corner is still out of sight. The requirements for huge amounts of data […] Read more
New cereal fungicide seeks to carve out its own niche
Cerefit's dual mode of action acts as a preventive and curative
Reading Time: 4 minutes In the fight against diseases in winter wheat in Eastern Canada, the agri-food industry has done a remarkable job in effectively managing fusarium head blight — for decades considered the crop’s greatest disease threat. Seed companies have screened and eliminated susceptible varieties while timing of fungicide applications has advanced to the extent that fusarium is […] Read more
What’s going to ‘bug’ you in 2020?
Western bean cutworm is quickly climbing the ranks as our biggest threat
Reading Time: 6 minutes Insect pests never seem to get the respect they deserve. If they present a threat during a growing season, they move front and centre, but more often they’re a much lower concern than fertility, weeds and diseases. Some of that is thanks to today’s improved genetics and commercial varieties and hybrids that produce their hardier, […] Read more
The stewardship challenge in farming
With field management getting more complicated, it’s time for a new approach
Reading Time: 7 minutes As the 2020 planting season approaches, growers, advisors, agronomists and industry stakeholders are all hoping for something better than the past two years. Does every year have to have a challenge like 2019’s difficult harvest, or 2018’s run-in with gibberella ear rot (GER) in corn? If it weren’t for the headaches imposed by weather, a […] Read more
Disease outlook for the 2020 crop season
We can’t be sure which diseases will attack this year, but indications are that once they arrive, they’ll be here to stay
Reading Time: 7 minutes What will be the big disease concern this year? Will it be tar spot in corn, or frog-eye leaf spot in soybeans? Or will growers be facing more of the same, with soybean cyst nematode and northern corn leaf blight? Forecasting diseases is iffy at best. The truth is that most disease pathogens, once they […] Read more
Rural isolation in a digital world
If farmers have to wait 10 years to catch up on high-speed internet access, will it be too late? No one knows
Reading Time: 7 minutes The internet has become such an integral part of our lives that it’s hard to remember 20 years ago when only 30 per cent of households had access. Life without clear, reliable connectivity in today’s business world is a little like asking a doctor to go back to the days before penicillin or having to […] Read more
East coast ag has plenty of room for more
Opportunities are growing on Canada’s east coast, based on affordable land and some pretty sharp farm business concepts
Reading Time: 8 minutes The agri-food industry has been losing farmers for decades, yet that doesn’t distract most producers from doing the job they do, in spite of what federal Census of Agriculture numbers indicate. The fact is agriculture continues to drive excellence in quality, in volume and in encouraging investment in infrastructure and technology, even if the number […] Read more
Stress relief for crops
These bacterial endophytes may give farmers more control over their crops than anyone has ever dreamed could be possible
Reading Time: 4 minutes In the chase to increase agricultural productivity, science has turned to hybridization, transgenics, soil fertility, pest resistance and even CRISPR. Every year there’s been something new. So what more could there be left to explore? Well, what if we could effectively stop stress? How much would our yields go up if stress was no longer […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
