Reading Time: 5 minutes Why does it appear to be so easy for animal rights activists to get a camera into a livestock operation, and so hard for the popular press to do exactly the same thing? The most recent example was when the industry got yet another black eye with an “inside” look at turkey farms, courtesy of […] Read more
Open-door policy
Unless the livestock sector is content to let animal rights activists set the agenda, it needs to become a whole lot more forthcoming and welcoming
Crossing the threshold
Nobody likes to see hungry insects in their field — but spraying in the absence of an economic rationale is bad economics and agronomics
Reading Time: 5 minutes Farmers and insects have always had a complex relationship and it hasn’t become any simpler with modern chemistry. There’s no doubt that a lethal application of an insecticide can do wonders for crop production if it’s needed and timely. But it’s a waste of good money if it isn’t. Every year farmers have to make […] Read more
Plotting a course for 2014
This summer’s demo trials will focus on how to mesh traits and crop protection with precision ag technology for even better results
Reading Time: 5 minutes After a long winter and a slow start to spring, everyone is itching to hit the field, and the major seed and chemical companies are no exception. This year, though, they’re moving away from just looking at new active ingredients or new genetics in their R&D plots. Now, they’re also starting to show what their […] Read more
Unsung champion
Move over red spring. Our red winter can be superior choice
Reading Time: 3 minutes When Canadian wheat is the topic of conversation, it’s only a matter of time before quality milling wheat becomes a focus. After all it’s our international brand, and our red spring wheat is said to be one of the best milling wheats in the world, perfect for bread baking. But did you know there’s another […] Read more
Hiring today’s youth
The job of grooming tomorrow’s ag employees starts while they’re still in school. These Ontario programs show it can work
Reading Time: 5 minutes So the news is in. Agriculture is facing yet another crisis. This time, it isn’t a trade issue, commodity prices or politics. Instead, it’s the pressing shortfall in human resources for the agri-food, fuel and biotech industry. The number of farmers is falling — just check any recent census. But the demand for all kinds […] Read more
It isn’t here… yet
Will Bt-resistant corn rootworm cross the border into Canada?
Reading Time: 5 minutes Growers in the western U.S. Corn Belt have a real fight on their hands, and they know it. Corn rootworm is showing resistance to Bt hybrids. From Illinois across to South Dakota and down into Kansas, the Cry3Bb1 protein that is the foundation of some Bt genetics is under threat. Researchers now say that pyramiding […] Read more
Mix and match
With wider chemical choices coming, the PrecisionPac system might be worth a second look
Reading Time: 6 minutes Imagine a world where you could roll into your local farm supply outlet and head to the back of the room where a vending machine sits. There, you’d plug in some basic data. The machine would ask what you’re planting, how many acres, what major weed species are present and what you’ll be rotating to […] Read more
Disease geometry
If all three sides of the disease triangle are present, you could have trouble on your hands in the coming growing season
Reading Time: 6 minutes It’s pretty much impossible to say in advance exactly what crop diseases are going to be present in your fields this coming season — but you can still have a solid idea of what to look for when the time comes. That’s because crop diseases are greatly influenced by weather and history, and when these […] Read more
Profit thieves
A persistent and insidious crop pest could be chewing away at your profits year after year
Reading Time: 3 minutes What’s three-quarters of an inch long, hard-bodied, yellowish brown, lives in the soil, and may be secretly chewing away at your profits? Wireworms… even their name is descriptive. Wireworms are the larval stage of the adult click beetle, and while the beetles do no damage, the same can’t be said about their offspring. The click […] Read more
Snow job
First it was record rainfall last fall. Then it was near-record snow. What’s next?
Reading Time: 7 minutes When it comes to spring planting, the one thing that keeps farmers well-grounded is the weather. They can plan their seed choice, lay out a timetable and know how they’d like things to happen — but in the end it’s nature that holds the final say. Farmers will start planting only when the conditions allow. […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
