Reading Time: 4 minutes The wrong restaurant order. The wrong order for a replacement part. The wrong medical procedure. Mistakes are part of every profession — including crop spraying. During a Telus crop protection webinar in June, participants were asked whether they had ever had an incident of spraying the wrong field or the wrong product. Fifty-three per cent […] Read more
Whoops… wrong field
How growers and applicators can work together to prevent spraying errors
Hemp 101 for growers
It’s now well established, with three potential markets and increased agronomic support
Reading Time: 4 minutes [UPDATED: Mar. 4, 2021] There were challenges for early hemp growers — limited markets, combining troubles and complex licensing requirements, but these problems have been reduced or eliminated. And while demand is not unlimited, it’s stable and growing every year. So if you’re looking for a profitable, easy-to-produce crop that’s also a good rotational option, […] Read more
Add another one to your canola scouting list
What you thought was sclerotinia might be verticillium stripe, and the Canola Council is making it a research priority
Reading Time: 4 minutes It first appeared in Manitoba fields in 2014, and now it’s showing up in Manitoba’s crop reports. “Canola yields tend to be disappointing for farmers, with heat blast and verticillium stripe suspected as contributing factors,” said a provincial summary in mid-September. The Canola Council of Canada (CCC) says verticillium stripe (VS) is caused by V. […] Read more
Working with change, instead of fearing it
Non-farm family businesses are in the throes of succession planning too. With the help of Chris Clarke, here’s how they’re elevating their team skills for superior succession planning — and why it’s driving their business performance as well
Reading Time: 5 minutes By now, every farmer has encountered more than a few articles on succession planning, and maybe the thought of even one more doesn’t seem all that appealing. Indeed, you’ve probably read the first few paragraphs of quite a few of these stories and paused, wondering if you’ll learn anything new. Well, this article is a […] Read more
Sharing succession stories
What can farmers learn from the transition struggles of Canada’s other independent, family-based businesses?
Reading Time: 5 minutes From a business perspective, whether it’s a family business, a family farm business or any other kind, succession planning is not only smart, it’s a condition of survival. According to the Family Business Institute for example, after the leader of a family business exits the picture for whatever reason, 70 per cent of these enterprises […] Read more
The best place for crop inputs…
Is where there’s enough moisture to grow a good crop. SWAT technology says it can tell you where that is
Reading Time: 5 minutes The description of Cory Willness’s canola field near Naicam, Sask., this year could fit hundreds of others across the Prairies. It has variable topography with too much moisture in the depressions. The topsoil on the knoll is poorer because of erosion over the years. “We also had had some establishment problems along the top this […] Read more
Hang on to your chequebook for cropping decisions
Highest returns come from soil testing to determine fertility rates plus choosing crop-protection products based on past pest problems and frequent scouting
Reading Time: 4 minutes After two years of a three-year trial, results indicate that the highest wheat yields and protein come from applying the highest level of inputs. But if you’re interested in the highest profits, you might want to hang on to your chequebook. The trial is led by Chris Holzapfel, research manager at the Indian Head Agricultural […] Read more
Disease considerations for a late and wet spring
In the west, it could mean more clubroot transmission. In the east, growers should be concerned about phytophthora in soybeans
Reading Time: 4 minutes At the time of writing, spring moisture conditions in Eastern Canada remained to be seen, but there wasn’t much question about the Prairies — many growers would still be dealing with wet soils and late planting due to rain and snow from last fall. For example, by early October the Western Cypress Hills area of […] Read more
Soybean and corn disease threats in Eastern Canada
Growers will need to use all their experience, best management practices and new tools to successfully combat disease in 2020
Reading Time: 4 minutes Another crop season is upon us and certain disease threats stand out in soybeans and corn in Eastern Canada. “SDS (sudden death syndrome) is expected to worsen in southwestern Ontario soybeans and root rot could be a serious concern this year if the conditions at planting time are wet,” notes Dr. Owen Wally, research scientist […] Read more
How much bigger are farms getting?
Farm size is increasing in Canada, but the rate of expansion is slowing, and new ownership models are emerging
Reading Time: 6 minutes Tom Eisenhauer, CEO and president of Toronto-based national farm financing firm Bonnefield Financial, gets right to his point. “To maximize their profits,” he says, “farmers need to maximize the utilization of their equipment, their inputs and their labour. “This usually means expansion.” J.P. Gervais, chief agricultural economist at Farm Credit Canada, also believes that larger […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
