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
Rethinking weed management
Not every weapon against herbicide resistance comes out of a sprayer
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
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.
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
