As harvest winds down and bins fill up, many farmers are likely breathing easier. But a university researcher warns that stored grain will spoil if conditions aren’t right. “Grain storage is part of farming. Before the money is inside your pocket, you can’t say it’s safe,” says Dr. Fuji Jian, grain storage specialist with the […] Read more
Avoid spoiled grain
Clubroot in new areas
Clubroot has been found in new areas. Whether it’s new to you or a perennial problem, learn how to keep it out of your fields
Clubroot has infected three new Alberta counties, and all the counties along Highway 16 to the Saskatchewan border now have clubroot. Farmers in counties with clubroot and areas bordering those counties, are on high alert, says an agronomist. “They should be really intensively looking for this to make sure they manage it before it gets […] Read moreVariable rate herbicide application
It’s not the best fit for every situation, but variable rate herbicide application could lower your chemical bills
Ty Faechner, executive director of the Agricultural Research and Extension Council of Alberta (ARECA), says variable rate herbicide application can offer several benefits. Faechner has studied variable rate herbicide application, and ARECA runs projects looking at on-farm precision agriculture research. Variable rate herbicide is ideal when weeds are patchy, rather than evenly distributed throughout a field, Faechner explains. Farmers or custom […] Read moreThree more Alta. counties join clubroot club
Clubroot’s reach is growing in east-central and northern Alberta. The disease infected fields in three new counties this year, according to the Canola Council of Canada. Beaver County, east of Edmonton, is one of the municipalities reporting clubroot for the first time this year. "We’re still continuing our surveying but so far it has been […] Read more
The value of micronutrient seed dressings
Micronutrient seed dressings are relatively new in Western Canada. Retailers generally don’t claim that these products will increase yield, but they may add value for some farmers
Micronutrient seed dressings, already well established in the U.S., are starting to appear on our side of the border. Unlike traditional seed treatments designed to combat plant disease, seed dressings are claimed to boost returns — if not necessarily yields — by promoting better emergence and seedling vigour. One product has received official CFIA registration. Other products […] Read moreDeciding when to swath canola
Agronomist Doug Moisey says if you really want to know whether or not your canola crop is ready, you’ll have to get out of your truck
To gauge harvest readiness of canola crops, farmers need to get into the field and pop open seed pods, according to an agronomist. “Seed colour change is the only true measure of maturity. Pod colour, plant colour (aren’t reliable). There are varieties out there that will turn a lighter shade of green, get to almost […] Read moreCalculate harvest losses in dollars per hour
Small losses can add up to a big expense. Learn how to calculate your harvest losses in dollars per hour
Harvest is hectic, and adding more items to the to-do list isn’t easy. But failing to check for leaks could add up to big harvest losses. “I talked to one fellow and he had said he was glad that he’d checked because he thought he was doing okay. He checked and he estimated there was […] Read moreNot all grasshoppers are pests
Farmers in Alberta and Saskatchewan could see grasshopper infestations this year. But before spraying, make sure the hoppers in your crop are actually pests
Of the 80 grasshopper species on the prairies, only a few are pests. Some non-pests will eat weeds, including kochia, Russian thistle, and ragweed. The two-striped, Packard’s, lesser migratory and clear-winged grasshoppers are the most common grasshopper pests on the Prairies. “If it’s flying in the spring, it’s not a major pest species. If it’s […] Read moreScouting for bertha armyworm
While there haven’t been major outbreaks of bertha armyworms in recent years, this might be the year you hav e to decide whether or not to spray them on your farm
The Prairies haven’t seen sweeping bertha armyworm outbreaks for a few years, but canola farmers need to watch for the voracious pests this growing season. Right now it’s difficult to say what the bertha armyworm population will be like in 2012, says Sean Miller, integrated pest management agrologist with Saskatchewan Agriculture. “It is a bit […] Read moreBertha armyworm in 2012
While there haven’t been major outbreaks of bertha armyworms in recent years, this might be the year you hav e to decide whether or not to spray them on your farm
The Prairies haven’t seen sweeping bertha armyworm outbreaks for a few years, but canola farmers need to watch for the voracious pests this growing season. Right now it’s difficult to say what the bertha armyworm population will be like in 2012, says Sean Miller, integrated pest management agrologist with Saskatchewan Agriculture. “It is a bit […] Read moreCyber-Savvy Farmer
