Reading Time: 7 minutes When the Canadian Wheat Board was losing the single desk, there was no shortage of dire predictions about what the fallout might be. Even many of those in favour of an open market conceded that there were a lot of moving parts, and it was going to be necessary to proceed with caution lest very […] Read more
Making change for cereal crop development
In the wake of deregulation, the cereals sector has needed to reorganize itself, and so far it seems like the major pieces have been picked up
Help the insects eat each other
Insecticides don’t just kill the bad bugs — they also kill their enemies
Reading Time: 4 minutes Terry Young has never sprayed for insects. “I’ve had the odd bertha and lygus in my canola and wheat midge in my wheat, but they haven’t been an issue for as long as I’ve been farming, which is 30-plus years now,” he says. Young farms at Lacombe, which is one of the most productive agricultural […] Read more
Canola disease highlights from 2015
Dry conditions, especially early in the season, reduced disease severity in general in 2015. Noteworthy events are the rise of blackleg in Saskatchewan and clubroot in Manitoba
Reading Time: 6 minutes Blackleg is on the uptick in Saskatchewan. The disease survey went 10 years with blackleg bumping along the bottom of the graph at low levels. But then prevalence — the percentage of fields with some level of blackleg infestation — rose from the 10-year average of 25 per cent up to 54 per cent in […] Read more
Clubroot continues its march across prairie canola fields
So far nothing appears to have slowed the spread of clubroot, so some are suggesting it might be time to rethink our approach
Reading Time: 9 minutes Over the past dozen years the canola industry has poured an ocean of effort into halting the spread of clubroot around the Edmonton area. And while there have been advances such as new resistant varieties, one uncomfortable truth remains — the disease continues to spread. Dan Orchard, a Canola Council of Canada agronomist who discovered […] Read more
A costly approach to dealing with crop insects and weeds
A head-in-the-sand approach to unfamiliar insects, diseases and weeds simply won't do. Be observant. Early identification and fast action — when required — are best
Reading Time: 5 minutes If Dan Orchard had not discovered clubroot in an Alberta canola field in 2003, we’d all be in ignorant bliss right now. Orchard really should have recognized the scientific principle that if something isn’t “discovered,” then it doesn’t exist and we don’t have to worry about it. He should have left well enough alone, as […] Read more
A big stretch for canola yields
At current rates of increase, canola yields will average 38 bushels in 2025. The Canola Council is shooting for 52. Is it possible?
Reading Time: 5 minutes You don’t get there unless you try. That’s the reasoning behind the Canola Council of Canada’s ambitious plan for Canada to produce 26 million tonnes at 52 bushels per acre by 2025. “Targeting is the one word that defines this strategy over others before it,” says Canola Council president Patti Miller. “Targeting in agronomy and […] Read more
A busy year for flea beetles in canola
Beetles galore! Best practices for 2016 remain seed treatment and good stand establishment
Reading Time: 4 minutes The new generation of adult flea beetles was thick on canola fields in August, nibbling pods and capping off what had been a busy year for the costly insect pest. Bob Elliott, integrated pest management scientist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) in Saskatoon, saw a fivefold increase in adults captured in sticky traps in […] Read more
The right amount of harvest loss
Here’s how to find that optimum balance between harvest efficiency and lower field losses
Reading Time: 6 minutes Combines can easily throw more than a couple of bushels per acre of canola without drawing any notice from the operator. Yet that hidden loss can add up. Two bushels per acre tossed with the chaff amounts to $3,200 per 160 acres (based on the round number of $10 per bushel of canola) and it […] Read more
Deciding if you should spray canola for blackleg
Longer canola rotations and switching varieties can reduce the need and cost of a fungicide
Reading Time: 2 minutes The best time to spray canola with a fungicide to control blackleg is at the two- to four-leaf stage, but there are things farmers can do to avoid having to spray at all. “Blackleg becomes a greater risk when you have seen blackleg in your field in the past and you’ve seen yield loss,” said […] Read more
Are you ‘always wrong’ at camp sclerotinia?
Your decision to spray essentially comes down to one simple equation
Reading Time: 6 minutes Ah, all the joys of summer camp… first loves, campfires and archery supremacy. And don’t forget wood ticks, swimmer’s itch and the stench of a cabin on weiners and beans night. In fact, it probably isn’t too big a stretch to say that the way we remember summer camp is probably as diverse as the […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
