Ascochyta blight goes hand in hand with chickpeas, says a chickpea grower. To control the disease, farmers need to time fungicide applications well, rotate fungicide groups, and make sure they’re getting enough coverage. The ascochyta blight pathogen overwinters on chickpea residue, and can also spread through infected seed. Spores can travel several miles on the […] Read more
Controlling ascochyta with fungicides
Should the next step be to organic?
Both organic and conventional beef and forage producers look for ways to build soil health without breaking the bank. Research and on-farm experience suggest growing perennial legumes and looking at the farm as a system can help producers achieve both goals. Alan McKenzie runs about 150 cows and 300 calves on a 3,500-acre mixed farm, […] Read more
New midge-tolerant wheat varieties
Western Canadian farmers have had access to midge-tolerant wheat varieties since 2010, and more are slated for release in 2013
In 2006, Prairie wheat farmers lost about $40 million to wheat midge damage that dropped grades and yields. But since 2010, midge-tolerant varieties have been on the market in Western Canada. Midge-tolerant wheat varieties were developed by wheat breeders with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and the Crop Development Centre. Each variety contains the SM1 gene, […] Read moreOptimize your soybean crop
Once you’ve chosen a soybean variety, seed at the right time and use the right inoculant to get the most out of your seed
The final Statistics Canada numbers for 2012 indicate a record soybean harvest across the country. In Manitoba alone, farmers harvested 800,000 soybean acres, a 40 per cent jump over 2011. Yields rose from 26.7 bushels in 2011 to 34.9 in 2012. More acres and yield added up to a record 759, 300 tonnes for Manitoba farmers. As […] Read moreLivestock ER trailers hit Alberta roads
Trailers equipped with all kinds of livestock-handling equipment will be used in the event of highway hauling mishaps
Accidents involving overturned commercial livestock trailers are dangerous. Injured and frightened livestock jeopardize the safety of the public and first responders. But a new fleet of five livestock emergency equipment trailers will give more of Alberta’s first responders the equipment they need to handle stressed livestock at accident scenes. The livestock Emergency Response (ER) trailers are not set up […] Read moreChloride response in canaryseed
Potassium generally gets more attention than chloride, but new research shows chloride can really increase canaryseed yields
Saskatchewan has half the world’s potash reserves and typically produces 30 per cent of the global supply, according to Saskatchewan’s Ministry of the Economy. Potassium chloride is the most common potash type used. While both potassium and chloride are essential plant nutrients, concerns over potassium levels often trump chloride. But new research shows chloride elicits a significant yield […] Read moreFertilizer rates and mineralization
Mineralization can be unpredictable and difficult to measure, but it should be taken into account when you’re calculating fertilizer rates
Mineralization is difficult to measure, but it accounts for a significant portion of available nitrogen and other nutrients. Taking into account both residual nitrogen and nitrogen mineralization helps calculate accurate fertilizer rates. Mineralization 101 More than 90 per cent of the nitrogen and sulfur in the surface soil is in the organic form, usually in […] Read moreRow planters versus air drills
There are some benefits to gain from row planters, but your decision to buy one will depend on row spacing and seeding rates
Row planters offer some benefits over air drills when seeding soybeans, according to research done in Ontario and Manitoba. But those advantages won’t add up to a new equipment purchase for every farmer. Horst Bohner is a soybean specialist with Ontario’s Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. From 2008 through 2010, Bohner and his […] Read moreFlowering rush is pretty, but problematic
While flowering rush may be a lovely pond decoration, it is also a formidable invasive plant that’s restricting water flow
Flowering rush seems to be an ideal ornamental pond plant. Plants grow on the water’s edge or fully submerged. They are striking, with stalks up to a metre tall, topped by nickel-sized pink flowers. But flowering rush also spreads easily and is hard to kill, making it a formidable invasive species. Flowering rush can restrict […] Read moreKeep bugs out of bins
With harvest wrapped up and grain in the bin, managing insect problems is crucial to keeping the grain in good condition. Using aeration to cool the grain is the key to preventing insect problems, says a researcher. “If you can get it below 20 degrees, you won’t have any problem with insects,” says Dr. Noel White, research […] Read more
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