Western Australia’s farmers are fighting herbicide resistant weeds by doing everything from burning windrows to using chaff carts. But what works in one state doesn’t necessarily translate to another. In the state of Victoria, the longer growing season means much of the annual ryegrass has fallen into the base of the crop by harvest, says […] Read more
Herbicide resistance rampant in Australia
In Australia, herbicide resistance is an industry-wide problem that needs solutions
Australians resilient to herbicide resistance
After the Millennium Drought, Australian farmers handle herbicide resistance with confidence
To understand how Australian farmers handle herbicide resistance, it’s useful to know about the Millennium Drought. The drought stretched over a decade and tested farmers’ mettle. But they emerged from those dry years with heightened confidence, says Brad Collis, editor of Ground Cover. “The industry’s come through it in very resilient frame.” Collis credits agriculture’s […] Read more
The story of the Riskan Hope barn
If you’ve driven north on Highway 11, from Regina to Saskatoon, you’ve seen Riskan Hope Farm. The farm name is spelled out on a big red barn between Craik and Aylesbury. I see it at least twice a year, on my drives home from Canada’s Farm Progress Show and Canadian Western Agribition. It’s a milestone […] Read more
Farmers can manage bee risk
While neonicitoids poise risks to bees, farmers and the ag industry can manage these risks
Neonicotinoids pose risks to bees in three ways, says a researcher. But farmers and the ag industry can manage the biggest risks, he told delegates at the International Rapeseed Conference in Saskatoon this past summer. Dr. Udo Heimbach researches pesticide use and environmental effects with Germany’s Julius Kuhn-Institut. He presented research studying neonics’ effects on […] Read more
The sweet spot for fungicide use
Variety resistance and the level of disease pressure impacts fungicide effectiveness
Early fungicide applications reduce blackleg severity when disease pressure is high and the varieties lack resistance, a researcher told delegates at the International Rapeseed Conference in Saskatoon. But fungicide has little effect when varieties are resistant or moderately resistant, he said. “We need to find kind of a sweet spot with fungicide use,” said Dr. […] Read more
Scouting for blackleg in canola
The Canola Council of Canada recommends blackleg scouting a week or two before straight cutting or swathing. Don’t wait more than a week after harvest, the Council advises, or plants may be too decomposed to pick out symptoms. While scouting, pull plants and clip stems below ground level. Black discolouration in the stem’s cross section […] Read more
Getting to know durum country
Reporter's Notebook: A French Durum SAS researcher may turn up at your doorstep, asking about durum
If you farm in Saskatchewan’s southern grain belt, you may have met Quentin Renault this summer. Quentin hails from France, but he’s in Canada for two years studying the durum supply chain, from farm to harbour. He spent his spring and summer driving dusty gravel roads in Saskatchewan’s durum belt, looking for farmers. On June […] Read more
Herbicide resistance is a global problem
Like Canadians, Australian farmers are planning their strategies to manage herbicide resistance
Andrew Morrison’s family bought their farm, southwest of Melbourne, Australia, in 1910. His family home is built from bluestone, a volcanic rock used by earlier generations to construct buildings and fences. Morrison’s farm was originally a livestock operation. After a drought in 1982, the Morrisons started continuous cropping. These days it’s a mixed farm, with […] Read more
VIDEO: Farming down under on the other side of the world: Pt. 2
Lisa Guenther's two-part interview with a mixed-farmer from Australia
What does farming look like on the other side of the globe? In some ways, it looks the same as any farm in Western Canada, but in other ways it’s quite different. In this second interview, Andrew Morrison, a farmer in Victoria, Australia, talks frankly about how he’s managing herbicide resistance and why he adopted […] Read more
VIDEO: Farming down under on the other side of the world: Pt. 1
Lisa Guenther's two-part interview with a mixed-farmer from Australia
What does farming look like on the other side of the globe? In some ways, it looks the same as any farm in Western Canada, but in other ways it’s quite different. In this first interview, Andrew Morrison gives us an overview of his mixed farm, located in the Australian state of Victoria. He talks about […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
