Lisa Guenther

High yields for pulse crops depend on using the right type of inoculant at just the right time, to get as much bacteria into the soil as possible

Rhizobium inoculants help peas and lentils fix nitrogen, reducing or eliminating the need for applied nitrogen. Success hinges on getting as many live rhizobium bacteria into the soil as possible. “You want to be able to maintain them as viable bacterial cells,” says Dr. Fran Walley. Walley is a soil science professor at the University of […] Read more

Flax acres were up in 2012. With breeding programs focused on higher-yielding varieties, more flax might fit in your future rotations

This year Canadian farmers seeded over one million flax acres, well above the 695,000 acres planted last year, according to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. “In terms of the market, I think we could easily support a two or three time growth in acreage before we would bump up against severe problems in the marketplace,” says Will Hill, […] Read more

Treating seed infected with fusarium won’t stop the infection, 
but it could get your crop off to a good start

Farmers with fusarium-infected grain may be considering seeding it instead of selling it. Others may have a hard time finding fusarium-free seed. Treating seed won’t reduce the fusarium head blight in the next crop. But, if done right, it can help infected seed get a good start. “When you use a seed care product, what you’re doing is […] Read more

Many farmers know seeding flax into canola stubble leads to lower yields. Some try to offset ill effects by pouring on the phosphorus. But research out of Manitoba shows applying phosphorus yields few benefits for flax. “For the most part, flax doesn’t respond really, really well to the fertilizer phosphorus anyway. Unless the soil is extremely deficient […] Read more

Fusarium head blight has plagued Eastern Canadian farmers for decades. Over the years the disease has spread into Western Canada, and the Canadian Grain Commission has found the fungus as far west as northern British Columbia. The right management practices will reduce fusarium levels most of the time. But even farmers who do everything correctly […] Read more

Knowing how plants forage for food could help farmers place fertilizer more efficiently and allow researchers to breed more successful crops

Biologists have long known about fairly complex animal behaviour, like risk assessment. But complex plant behaviour — like foraging for food or recognizing friends and foes — seems more like science fiction than science. However, plants may behave with more purpose than we have been giving them credit for. Dr. James (JC) Cahill is an […] Read more

One of the last small capacity grain elevators in west-central Saskatchewan is closing, ending one town’s grain-handling era. Turtleford’s Richardson Pioneer elevator stopped taking grain as of December 31, 2012. It was the only small elevator on the defunct North Battleford-Turtleford CNR line that survived after railway service halted in 2000. The elevator’s grain buyer […] Read more

This Missouri farmer has broken the world record, growing dryland soybeans that yielded 109.3 bushels per acre

This Missouri farmer has broken the world record, growing dryland soybeans that yielded 109.3 bushels per acre Charlie Hinkebein of Chaffee, Missouri is great at growing soybeans. In 2008, his dryland soybeans yielded 109.3 bushels per acre, breaking a world record. Hinkebein is a 100-Bushel Soybean Club member, an exclusive group that includes two other […] Read more

Insects, heat, hail and wind were only part of the problem. Diseases such as sclerotinia did significant damage to canola crops this growing season. Statistics Canada’s experimental Crop Condition Assessment Program initially estimated the Western Canadian canola harvest at over 16 million metric tonnes, averaging 34.2 bushels per acre. But Stats Can’s October 4 estimate […] Read more