Reading Time: 4 minutes Soybean cyst nematode was first identified in Ontario in 1988, and since then it has spread through much of the province. Despite nearly three decades of experience with this pest, Ontario is still a relative newcomer compared to places like Tennessee, with its history dating back to the 1950s. Other states such as Illinois and […] Read more
Extensive SCN survey shows numbers still climb
The collaborative study continues to identify heavier infestations and more spread of the disease
Not just for the birds
Promising new research is exploring a whole new human food market for canary seed, a minor crop that Canada’s farmers play a major role in
Reading Time: 4 minutes Did you know that Canada is the world’s largest supplier of canary seed? “Canada accounts for 75 per cent of the world trade in canary seed, with exports worth $50 to $90 million annually,” says Pierre Hucl, a professor in the department of plant sciences and crop development centre at at the University of Saskatchewan. […] Read more
Abundant choices
There’s no shortage of crop protection choices for just about any problem a grower might face in the 2014 season, including a number of new options registered in time for this spring
Reading Time: 4 minutes We are a fortunate lot, here in Canada, when it comes to controlling pests in our crops. We have access to literally hundreds of products which can be used alone or in tank mixes to control just about any weed, insect, or disease we might encounter in any crop we are likely to grow. In […] Read more
Pest Patrol
A handy acronym can help you remember what gets added during tank mixing
Reading Time: < 1 minute What is the proper order for tank mixing pesticides? If a tank mix is listed on a pesticide label, there will be specific mixing instructions. However, the Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) does permit the application of unlabelled tank mixtures if the pesticides are registered on the target crop and are being applied within their […] Read more
Hard wired
Several factors are encouraging the return of an old pest enemy — the wireworm group — that had long been a thing of the past for Canadian farmers
Reading Time: 5 minutes They live quietly in your fields for as long as two or three seasons, silently but slowly damaging your crops and undermining your farm’s profitability. Their top hosts are grassy crops such as corn, but they’ve even been known to feed on potatoes, scarring the tubers with long feeding holes. Wireworms damage grassy plants in […] Read more
Into the corners
There’s no polite way to say it — our modern crop varieties are very productive, well-bred wimps
Reading Time: 6 minutes Hockey legend Gordie Howe was born on the Canadian prairies in Floral, Sask., on the outskirts of Saskatoon. Tough and scrappy, he dominated along the boards and in the corners where his legendary elbows secured his space and made him a formidable competitor. At one point Canadian farmers fielded entire teams made up of those […] Read more
Help wanted
Farmers can’t wait 10 years to build a workforce. In this first of a two-part series, we look at why the need is so urgent
Reading Time: 6 minutes The crisis is already here, and farmers are caught in the jaws of two ugly steel traps. Not only is it getting harder and harder for farmers to find the employees they need for their own farms, but the companies that farmers rely on — ranging from seed and chemical companies to equipment makers — […] Read more
Growing market
CPSR wheat is a class that’s attracting a lot of attention abroad for possible food uses
Reading Time: 3 minutes Canada Prairie Spring Red wheat is considered a great livestock feed wheat here in Canada, but it’s also ideal for a variety of human food applications, especially in other countries, says Ashok Sarkar, head of milling technology at the Canadian International Grains Institute (Cigi). The quality characteristics of CPSR — exceptional milling performance, medium protein […] Read more
Unsilent spring
The funny thing about farm chemicals is they’re a lot less scary when you learn a bit about them — and some of the cautionary tales from the past have actually shown us how to use them more safely and effectively
Reading Time: 5 minutes Back in the early ’80s, when I was a science student, I took a pollution geography course and wrote a term paper on pesticides. I read Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring, the book credited with birthing the modern environmental movement, and dug through the library for all available references. I wound up getting a pretty good […] Read more
We’ve come a long way
Weed control evolution has occurred incrementally over the years, but looking back at the sweep of history shows some very impressive gains
Reading Time: 5 minutes Some might remember the 1970s cigarette commercial featuring the slogan, “You’ve come a long way, baby.” Well, as I think back to how we controlled pests in the early days of my career, no slogan could be more appropriate for our pesticide industry. I was recently reminiscing with my brother Bill, who has been in […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
