Angela Lovell

Scientists are currently investigating some recent changes in the fusarium pathogen population — there appears to be increasing incidence of a different, more virulent strain. The main pathogen strain which can contaminate grain with fungal toxins (mycotoxins) such as deoxynivalenol (DON), also known as vomitoxin, is fusarium graminearum. The fusarium graminearum pathogen is divided into three chemotypes […] Read more

There’s no “one best way” to manage fusarium. For best results, try an
integrated management strategy that includes several steps

Fusarium head blight (FHB), also known as scab or tombstone, is a fungal disease that causes yield loss and grade loss. FHB can infect most cereal crops and some grasses, especially in areas that experience humid weather. The fusarium fungus is endemic in parts of Manitoba and Saskatchewan and given the right environmental conditions, disease will develop. Weather patterns are […] Read more

Farmers who grow pulse crops know that ascocyta can be a serious problem. Break the cycle on your farm

Ascochyta blight is a seed-borne disease that can cause yield loss in peas, lentils and chickpeas. Fortunately, each strain of ascochyta is crop specific — the strain that infects your lentil crop will not impact your chickpeas. This makes crop rotation the first line of defence against ascochyta. “It’s important to start with a good […] Read more

Glyphosate-resistant kochia is currently isolated to a small area in southern Alberta, but farmers should be conscious of the fact that it could spread. “Resistance is a numbers game,” says Clark Brenzil, Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture weed specialist. “When a resistant biotype either gets brought in from somewhere else or evolves on the parcel of […] Read more

Most of the Prairies saw little rain last fall and had very little snow cover. 
Get ready for the challenge of managing weeds in dry weather

There are very different considerations for managing weeds under dryer conditions. Some herbicides may be less effective and crops are generally less competitive. With winter precipitation levels already well below normal, if the dry conditions of last summer and fall persist into this spring, farmers may have some decisions to make when it comes to […] Read more

Agriculture is an industry that offers many diverse career opportunities both on and off the farm. Increasingly, agricultural employers, especially those in agri-business, are recruiting right off university and college campuses to try and snap up the tightening supply of qualified candidates. “Many of our students, whether it is for summer or permanent employment, are […] Read more

The belief that spraying at higher wind speeds causes more drift damage has prompted many farmers to spray at night, when wind speeds tend to be lighter. Although nights are often calmer, more damage can occur as spray drift is affected by temperature inversion, a process that has the potential to occur almost every night. […] Read more

AC Gehl is the only truly naked (or bald) oat currently available in Canada, and should not be confused with other hulless oat varieties, which still have fine hairs (trichomes) that can cause skin, respiratory and eye irritation during harvesting, handling and processing. AC Gehl does not require de-hulling and sorting as do traditional oats, […] Read more