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
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
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
Researchers scramble to understand verticillium in Canada
Disease is a relative newcomer to Canada and has been the subject of little research globally
Justine Cornelson of BrettYoung Seeds says verticillium is one reason Manitoba saw disappointing canola yields last year. The disease needs to be the subject of more research, since little has been done to date.
Panel explores key issues in canola variety selection at Manitoba Ag Days
It’s all about finding the right fit for the challenges on your farm, rather than taking what you can get
A panel discussion at Manitoba Ag Days 2025 delved into what makes a canola variety the right fit for your farm.
Aster yellows rare but potentially costly Manitoba Ag Days speaker says
The last big outbreak is said to have cost Prairie canola growers $400 million in yield losses
Aster yellows might be rare, but it can be expensive. The last big outbreak cost Prairie canola growers $400 million in yield losses, Trevor Wist of AAFC told Manitoba Ag Days 2025.
Fitting malting barley in your rotation
The price premium isn’t the only benefit malting barley offers
Farmers who grow malting barley in their rotation say there is a lot to like about the crop. It’s an early-maturing, drought-resistant crop that competes well with weeds. And if farmers meet the high standards required by malting houses, they can earn a handsome premium. Although malting barley once yielded significantly less than higher-yielding feed […] Read more
Maul of the wild
Farmers who missed two-decade-old advice on wild oat management now face the fallout, but new research and technology might still turn the tide
Any Prairie farmers who ignored a 2005 paper on managing herbicide-resistant wild oats, back when it first dropped, might feel like they’re getting an “I told you so” finger wag if they were to read it today. Authored by Hugh Beckie, a former AAFC researcher known for his contributions to weed management and herbicide resistance […] Read more
Critical factors in growing malting barley
While malting grade offers premiums, farmers must meet stringent quality standards to avoid being left with feed
As malting barley yields approach those of top feed varieties, farmers are increasingly choosing to grow malting barley in hopes of securing a premium price — even if their end goal is feed. The problem is, those premiums don’t come easily. Shawn Pasieczka, a food safety grain specialist with Richardson, is the arbiter of what […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
