Reading Time: 2 minutes A study of 27 canola fields across Alberta has found 16 infected with clubroot pathotypes able to cause “high levels” of the disease — in canola plants with clubroot-resistant genetics. What’s more, the clubroot pathogen isolated from “many” of the infected fields in the study was virulent on all clubroot-resistant canola cultivars, the Canola Council of Canada […] Read more
Clubroots beating all resistant canolas across Alta.
Your soil needs crop diversity
Stacked rotations may be worth more research, but until then, diversity is your best profit management tool
Reading Time: 4 minutes Healthy soil is the craziest, busiest jungle you can imagine. One gram of clubroot-infested soil can have a billion clubroot spores. A billion! All in a pinch of soil the size of a Skittle! Fusariums, pythiums, rhizoctonia and countless other beneficial fungi, bacteria and microbes are there, too. So are ions and molecules of calcium, […] Read more
Herbicide resistance isn’t getting any better
Herbicide resistance is almost guaranteed to keep getting worse. But you might be able to keep it manageable on your farm
Reading Time: 6 minutes Wild oats have reigned as Western Canada’s worst weed for about 40 years, and multiple herbicide resistance and farmers’ reluctance to alter their practices may ensure the title doesn’t change hands in the foreseeable future. “Based on our surveys, we estimate that over half of the cultivated land in the Prairies — about 36 million […] Read more
Decisions on new-crop canola acres still pending
Reading Time: 2 minutes CNS Canada — With the 2015-16 growing season fast approaching in Western Canada, decisions on how many acres will be seeded to canola remain up in the air. “I think a lot of people aren’t getting a lot of feedback from growers, as they haven’t really indicated a lot of big changes in acres,” said […] Read more
Fababeans making more inroads on Prairies
Reading Time: 2 minutes CNS Canada — Fababean acres are on the rise in Western Canada, as the crop is seen as a good pulse alternative for producers seeking other options in their rotations. Better disease resistance and ease of harvest have been two selling points for the crop. “We’ve had significant uptake on fababeans,” said Leanne Fischbuch, executive […] Read more
Once you get to the top…
Corn Guide: For the corn-growing Cantelon family, it just means you’re partway there
Reading Time: 5 minutes Wayne Cantelon is a lot like other farmers. He works a substantial number of acres with his father, brother and son, and he’s always trying to improve conditions and production. And just like a lot of other farmers, too, he’s hesitant to consider himself a leader or an innovator. In spite of that reluctance, Cantelon, […] Read more
On the sidelines
Disease resistance isn’t a big corn or soybean issue today, but...
Reading Time: 6 minutes With so many stories about resistance hitting the farm news in the last five years, any new stories about chemical resistance on the farm now tend to generate one of two reactions: disinterest (approaching boredom) or a touch of hypersensitivity. Neither is the best reaction, especially with all the new learnings about the possibilities of […] Read more
When it comes to crop rotation planning, there’s an app for that
#PestPatrol with Mike Cowbrough, OMAFRA
Reading Time: < 1 minute Crop prices are certainly more bearish now than they have been during the past two seasons, and because of this some farmers will question whether they should tweak their cropping rotation in the short term or stay the course. Now there is a smartphone app called “Cash Cropper” that will help you to evaluate: The […] Read more
A look back at thicker soybean stands
Is 2014 proof that we’ve been going in the wrong direction with soybean populations?
Reading Time: 6 minutes Sometimes it’s best to take a quick look in the rear-view mirror before considering where to go next. In farming, of course, it isn’t that simple. The weather next year will never be exactly the same as it was this year, and pest and disease pressures will vary too. Still, it’s essential to look for […] Read more
Fungicide question on wheat is settled
For these farmers, it’s every acre, every year… but always at the right crop stage
Reading Time: 8 minutes Kristjan Hebert knows exactly what his target is when he is spraying fungicide on his wheat. “One hundred per cent,” says the Moosomin, Sask.-area grain grower, who farms with his father. “Our goal is to get it all covered at the heading stage.” That’s a far cry from just a few years ago, when the […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
