Now that 2015 is pretty much under our belts, I think we can say, in general, that weather conditions got off to a fairly good start and then turned unusually dry for the balance of the season.
And when the rains eventually did come, they came at the wrong time — creating challenging conditions at harvest.
With that in mind, here are a few ways that 2015’s weather may have an effect on your agronomy — namely soil and weed management — going into 2016.
We don’t yet know what to expect this winter, or how heavy the snowfall will be. A good snow covering could help replenish your soil’s moisture stock, leading to fairly good seeding conditions come the spring.
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Due to the wet fall we’ve had in many parts, winter annual weeds may have already had anywhere from a one-month to three-month head start on growth. That’s why it’ll important to get out there and scout your fields before your spring glyphosate burn.
We also had a pretty healthy canola acreage this past year, which could translate to a lot of volunteer canola in the spring burn and 2016 crop. If last year’s canola yields were surprisingly good, you can bet there will be a healthy volunteer canola crop coming up as weeds.
This agronomy tip was brought to you by Rob Klewchuk, western technical lead, with Syngenta Canada.
