Verticillium is a newcomer among Canadian crop diseases, and according to Justine Cornelsen, agronomic and regulatory services manager with BrettYoung Seeds, researchers still have much to learn about it. “It was first identified on a farm south of Winnipeg in 2014, but it has now been identified in many other production regions,” she says. As […] Read more
Researchers scramble to understand verticillium in Canada
While research into verticillium stripe is still in its infancy, agronomists are recommending crop rotation and better field practices
Project to take high-level look at ag emissions
A CBC tower will be used to monitor nitrous oxide on the Prairies
Glacier FarmMedia — A group of researchers, policy makers and producer organizations is repurposing part of a CBC transmission tower to get data on agriculture’s greenhouse gas emissions. The tower at Yorkton, Sask., will be fitted with sensors to measure agricultural nitrous oxide emissions 100 metres above the ground. The group, dubbed CanN20net, held its […] Read more
Pioneer levels up against sclerotinia
Corteva’s new canola hybrid delivers fungicide-equivalent protection
Fungicide-equivalent protection against sclerotinia has long been an elusive target for canola breeders — but Pioneer appears to have cracked the code. The Corteva-owned seed brand released its P617SL hybrid commercially in 2024, and the company says its trial data backs up the fungicide-equivalent claim. While the Canola Council of Canada can’t speak to specific […] Read more
Rethinking weed management
Not every weapon against herbicide resistance comes out of a sprayer
Farmers up against herbicide-resistant weeds need to rethink their cropping systems and add more angles in their approach to long-term weed control. This advice came from Dr. Drew Lyon of Washington State University during his presentation at the Manitoba Agronomists’ Conference in December. While Lyon’s discussion primarily focused on integrated weed management (IWM) in dryland […] Read more
Dollars from data
Improving the quality of the quantifying can help improve bottom lines, nutrient management, yields and decision-making
Unlocking the full strength of your data can turn small changes into bigger returns, and smart, localized insights can boost a farm’s bottom line, Brunel Sabourin of Antara Agronomy says. Sabourin was speaking to an audience of farmers and agronomists at St. Jean Farm Days, an agricultural event at St. Jean Baptiste, Man., about 60 […] Read more
Herbicide researchers pick new fights
Different modes of action may overcome a lull in herbicide discovery
Herbicide development has slowed in recent years, but innovative research methods could soon drive significant progress in the field. For decades, the pace of discovery of new modes of action — that is, how a herbicide interferes with the plant’s normal functions — was robust. From the 1950s through the 1980s, an average of one […] Read more
Tackling herbicide resistance with smarter spraying
Tom Wolf from Sprayers101.com shares insights on how spraying techniques and technologies can help farmers stay ahead of resistance
With herbicide resistance on the rise, farmers can no longer spray their way out of weed problems — but smarter spraying can help prevent making resistance worse. That was the message from spray application specialist Tom Wolf, who spoke recently at the Manitoba Agronomists’ Conference. Wolf, from Saskatoon, is known for his contributions to Sprayers101.com, […] Read more
Retain your rain
Farmers can get creative to manage water efficiency on Prairie fields
Growers often dismiss the unpredictability of precipitation as pure luck — but they can stack the odds in their favour with the right strategies. “There’s a lot of different dynamics going on with the water balance in the Prairies,” says Phillip Harder, research director and hydrologist at Croptimistic Technologies. In addition to summer rains during […] Read more
New tool for carbon footprint tracking unveiled at Manitoba AgDays
FCC says the tool is a ‘non-judgemental’ way of getting a snap shot of soil carbon including sequestration
Soil carbon is an imporant thing to track, both emissions and sequestration. Bryan Prystupa, of Farm Credit Canada, spoke about a new tool that aims to give farmers insight into carbon on their farms.
The evolving fight against volunteer canola
As its prevalence grows, farmers are adopting integrated strategies to manage one of the Prairies' most persistent weeds
While chemistries out there continue to work for most farmers, the days of spraying their way out of volunteer canola issues are receding in the rearview mirror. “I’m not going to say that herbicides don’t work because there are quite a few herbicide options still to manage volunteer canola,” says Charles Geddes, a research scientist […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
