Reading Time: 6 minutes In the past 25 years, agriculture has seen a full gamut of new programs from environmental farm plans to neonicotinoid-use restrictions in Ontario. Some are relatively farm friendly, some less so. Like them or hate them, they’re all meant to be in the name of sustainability, traceability and food safety and security, which are under […] Read more
Another big hurdle for Canadian producers
With MRLs, the problems begin when a test used for regulating trade gets treated as a verdict on food safety
Sprayer speed a turbulent topic
As sprayers go faster, aerodynamics start to come into play. A PAMI project is evaluating if they affect spray deposition
Reading Time: 3 minutes On the surface, spraying seems straightforward. But a closer look at the multitude of factors that can influence how best to get product from the spray tank to the plant surface reveals something akin to a massive puzzle with a couple of pieces missing. One of the people trying to make that picture complete is […] Read more
High disease risk sees many Manitoba canola growers spraying fungicide
A wet spring creates canola fields full of sclerotinia as flowering blooms
Reading Time: 3 minutes This season Manitoba canola growers shouldn’t be asking if they should be spraying fungicides — they should be asking themselves if there’s any possible reason they shouldn’t. Clinton Jurke, director of agronomy for the Canola Council of Canada, says it’s been a moist spring, yield looks good in much of the province and dense canopies […] Read more
Applying fungicide by air
If you choose an aerial applicator to apply your fungicide, be aware of timing and water volume
Reading Time: 3 minutes Dr. Tom Wolf, researcher and owner of Agrimetrix Research and Training, says aerial applicators are “tremendously important.” “They apply spray under conditions that a ground rig can’t — for example, with soil moisture. They cover much more area than a ground rig ever can so they can be more timely. ”Jill Lane, executive director of […] Read more
5 tips for fungicide application
If you've decided to spray, make sure you get the most out of your investment
If you’ve decided to invest in added fungicide protection this season, do everything you can to get your spray spot-on. And to help you get the most out of your investment, I’ve put together my top five fungicide spray tips.
A new look at 30-inch rows for soybeans
If you think the case is closed on 30-inch rows, get ready to think again
Reading Time: 7 minutes Soybean growers near the Ontario-Quebec border have tested wide rows, and some have even adopted them already as a way of managing white mould pressure. The disease thrives here. even though agronomists can’t exactly say why. But there’s also more to the 30-inch debate than just mould control. Based in the eastern end of the[...]
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The crop disease to watch for
Heading into 2016, all eyes are on northern leaf blight
Reading Time: 4 minutes With spring in the air, now is the time for a quick reminder of some of the diseases that are likely to challenge corn growers in 2016. Northern leaf blight is turning into one of those diseases that growers are simply going to have to deal with on an annual basis. You’re already doing this[...]
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The fine balance of controlling crop diseases
It's a classic example of where short-term decisions can mean long-term problems
Reading Time: 7 minutes Randy Kutcher recalls that when he moved to Saskatchewan 25 years ago, farmers were using hardly any fungicide. “They were using a bit of fungicide for sclerotinia in canola, and that’s about it. Now it’s pretty much part of the program, and often crops are getting two or more applications, and it’s almost become like[...]
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Crop diseases take a bit of a break in 2015
Drier conditions this past season kept a lid on most crop diseases — but this is probably just a brief respite until environmental conditions line up again
Reading Time: 8 minutes The bad news is that dry weather cut yields across much of the Prairies in 2015. The consolation? This same weather kept fungal diseases in check. In fact, areas that were in the sweet spot of lower pressure but enough rainfall to carry yield were rewarded with exceptional crop quality. Country Guide recently spoke to[...]
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The Integrated Pest Management (IPM) challenge for today’s crops
Are you keeping on top of all these new pest-control opportunities?
Reading Time: 8 minutes The term has been around for decades, and it trips off our tongues as easily as “no-till management” and “cover crops.” Yet one of the challenges, even for those in search of a silver bullet in crop management, is the constant evolution of the term “IPM.” Its meaning is rapidly evolving, and so are the[...]
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A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
