There are two types of lodging in cereals. The most common type is root lodging, which usually occurs early in the season and causes leaning of the stems from the crown area because of disturbance to the root system. Stem lodging generally occurs later in the season, when the stem is more brittle as it […] Read more
Lodging in cereals
Reduce your risk of rust
Late seeding across a lot of the Prairies due to wet spring conditions last year meant a fair amount of leaf, stem and stripe rust occurred in wheat crops, and Alberta reported incidences of stripe rust which appeared to have overwintered. Rust diseases generally blow in as spores from the southern U.S. in early summer, […] Read more
Trees can be more than windbreaks
Whether you need a shelterbelt for the yard, a windbreak for cattle, or are working with nature to protect a riparian area, the Agriculture Canada nursery in Saskatchewan has a tree for all reasons. The breeding program at the Agroforestry Development Centre (ADC) at Indian Head, Sask., concentrates mostly on developing new trees and shrubs […] Read more
Four ways to identify hardpan
True man-made hardpan — a compacted layer of soil just below the soil surface — is rare in the Prairies, but it does happen. Far more common, but equally troubling, is hardpan caused by soil composition, such as is the case when dealing with Solonetzic soils. In Saskatchewan and Alberta, soil specialists tend to refer […] Read more
Polycrops help dry wet soils
With both extremely wet and dry conditions happening in the same growing season, it is not a stretch to call 2011 a strange year in Manitoba, but it has helped prove the effectiveness of perennial and annual forage seed blends known as “polycrops” in dealing with extremes of weather. “One thing that became very clear […] Read more
Six Steps To Better Tank Cleanout
Improper or inadequate cleaning of sprayers following the application of Group 2 herbicides can cause significant damage to canola and other susceptible crops. If not cleaned out thoroughly, residue can hang around in the sprayer tank, nozzles or screens. Tom Wolf, a research scientist at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada at Saskatoon, Sask., has done extensive […] Read more
Seven Tips For Better Fences
Keeping the juice following through an electric fence is critical to its ongoing and effective role in controlling cattle. Adele Popp, who farms with her husband John near Erickson, Man. says that all begins with using proper materials and construction techniques. Popp explained the key elements of an effective electric fence last summer to visitors […] Read more
Groenewegs Keen To Help New Farmers Get Started
Turning challenges into opportunities is something Franck and Kari Groeneweg are very good at. It could be one of the reasons the couple from the Edgeley area of Saskatchewan (northeast of Regina) were named as the province s Outstanding Young Farmers (OYF) for 2011. Our motto, in some ways, is to try and make lemonade […] Read more
Farm Success Built On Avoiding The Icebergs
Andrew DeRuyck believes good farm management and realistic planning are essential to sustain growth and make farms more resilient to changing conditions and markets, and it s quite apparent he practices what he preaches. The way Andrew and his wife Tanis have handled change, to diversify and strengthen their own farm operations, played a large […] Read more
New Technology Helps Make Better Grape Vines
Product innovation and quality are two key elements behind the success of Gemmrich W. Nursery, a grapevine propagation farm in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont., that helped earn Wes and Briar Wiens, the title of Ontario s Outstanding Young Farmers (OYF) for 2011. The Wiens purchased their grapevine propagation business in 2004 from the previous owner, Martin Gemmrich, […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
