Reading Time: 2 minutes It’s a saying commonly used by advocates who would like to see more tillage used for weed control: “No herbicide resistance can evolve to cold hard steel.” I’m not here to discount the value of tillage for weed control, but this implies that tillage is foolproof. Although tillage can do a reasonably good job at […] Read more
Pest Patrol: How effective is tillage at controlling glyphosate-resistant Canada fleabane?
#PestPatrol with Mike Cowbrough, OMAFRA
Final words on dicamba
The big concern for herbicide companies is to keep Xtend technology for years to come
Reading Time: 4 minutes In farming circles, 2017 may be remembered for a profound addition to our technology with the launch of the Roundup Ready 2 Xtend soybean system and its companion herbicides, XtendiMax with VaporGrip technology and Engenia. Long anticipated, the Roundup Ready 2 Xtend Crop System brings with it the potential to solve many issues with glyphosate-resistant […] Read more
Pest Patrol: Xtend soybeans, spray drift and controlling glyphosate-resistant fleabane
#PestPatrol with Mike Cowbrough, OMAFRA
Reading Time: 2 minutes I want to plant Roundup Ready 2 Xtend soybeans this season to control my glyphosate-resistant Canada fleabane. But I keep hearing about the increased risk of drift with the dicamba-based herbicides. Is this fear mongering, or do I need to pay special attention when applying herbicides containing dicamba? We can learn a lot about the […] Read more
Dry weather weed control in IP soybeans
Weed control in IP soybeans is always a challenge. This year, it was nearly impossible… but not on all farms
Reading Time: 5 minutes Good weed control in Eastern Canada’s identity-preserved soybean fields this year appears to be just as patchy as the spring and summer rains, particularly in southern Ontario and parts of Quebec. Even Roundup Ready beans were slow to canopy in between rescue rains and required more in-season attention than usual. Then, as crops headed toward […] Read more
Grow soybeans like corn
Increasing your management intensity with extra attention to weeds, pests, uniformity and canopy closure
Reading Time: 10 minutes Proponents of big yields often make the same observation. Whether it’s in corn with American record holders Francis Childs or Herman Warsaw, or it’s in soybeans, with Dr. Gary Ablett at Ridgetown Campus once pegging our potential soybean yield at 250 bu./ac., the talk always turns to “attention to detail.” Yet what confounds Eric Richter […] Read more
Pest Patrol: What is the best strategy for managing perennial sow thistle?
#PestPatrol with Mike Cowbrough, OMAFRA
Reading Time: 3 minutes With lateral roots that go as deep as two metres and seed production approaching 10,000 per plant, perennial sow thistle is extremely difficult to eradicate. Its impact can be minimized, however. Management that reduces top growth will lower seed production and root mass over time. But be forewarned. If you decide to take a year […] Read more
Why weed surveys matter
Regular inventories across the Prairies provide a valuable indication of emerging problems
Reading Time: 4 minutes Every decade or so since the mid-1970s, scientists at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), with the help of many others, have co-ordinated and compiled weed surveys in each of the three Prairie provinces, counting, mapping, noting changes and marking trends. The most recent survey was conducted in 2014 and 2015 in Saskatchewan, with financial assistance […] Read more
Is it enough to rotate your herbicides?
Integrated weed management can slow herbicide resistance, but rotation is just one piece
Reading Time: 6 minutes Integrated weed management (IWM) is not rotating herbicides or modes of action. IWM is combining one of more different weed management techniques, such as chemical, cultural, physical or biological weed control. Some IWM methods are easy to implement, such as making sure you select good, certified seed that will grow vigorously and out-compete weeds. Seeding […] Read more
Where do you cut when you have to cut costs?
As crop prices drop, growers have a new focus on cost containment. Weed control is always a big bill, so it’s only natural this gets a hard look — but taking the wrong steps could cost you money
Reading Time: 4 minutes High crop prices always make the decision to apply crop protection products relatively easy. Just a few years ago, when canola was north of $700 per tonne and wheat was sitting near $500 per tonne, the question was never “Should I spray?” it was “Why wouldn’t I spray?” After all, at those prices if you […] Read more
We need to get our herbicide resistance response right
Dealing with what's become a global problem could end up being one of Canada's key competitive advantages as a grain-exporting nation
Reading Time: 7 minutes In Australia, the problem is so bad growers are catching chaff with mechanical seed destructors or burning it in windrows in order to destroy weed seeds. In the U.S. Cotton Belt, the unthinkable has happened and crews walk through fields, hand-roguing Palmer amaranth at $150 per acre. In Europe, they’re resorting to more and more […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
