Mother Nature rarely gives an easy ride on the Prairie pest front. And 2020 was no exception, said James Tansey, Saskatchewan Agriculture’s provincial insect and vertebrate pest specialist, at Canola Council of Canada’s Canola Week 2020 held last December. Though some key canola pest species showed relatively low population densities in 2020, other pests caused […] Read more
Your 2020 canola insect roundup
How big of a bite did pests take out of canola crops last year?
And the canola disease surveys say…
The 2020 numbers on blackleg, sclerotinia stem rot, clubroot, verticillium stripe and others across the Prairies
Western Canada’s crop disease specialists have spent the past few months finalizing results from canola field disease surveys executed during the 2020 growing season. Blackleg According to those surveys, 45.4 per cent of 350 canola fields and five mustard fields evaluated across Alberta in 2020 had blackleg. The average rate of infection was 6.4 plants […] Read more
Two more reasons to consider a jar test before tank mixing
It’s better to be safe than sorry when you combine multiple modes of action or include micronutrients in the tank
When tank mixing goes well, farmers can reduce the number of passes through their fields, saving equipment operating time and man-hours, reducing compaction and optimizing application timing. When tank mixing goes badly, however, the results can be disastrous. Because chemical companies won’t and, in fact, can’t test their products with every possible mixing option, making […] Read more
What were the canola yield robbers in 2020?
Some farmers benefited from the environmental conditions while others were ready to put 2020 behind them
In 2020, canola fell more than 11 bushels short of the 52 bushels per acre yield target the Canola Council of Canada (CCC) hopes Canadian farmers can achieve by 2025. Though a handful of major factors held yield back last season, hot and dry conditions bit into the most acres, said CCC agronomy specialist Justine […] Read more
Seven reasons to consider controlled traffic farming
CTF benefits may make the practice worth another look
Each time you drive across your field, you’re squeezing the life out of the soil beneath your tires. Sound overdramatic? Studies show as much as 80 per cent of compaction happens during equipment’s first pass. The downsides of compaction are many and varied, and all ultimately lead to lower soil health and decreased crop yields. […] Read more
Real-time kinematic technology use and costs
RTK technology offers ultra-precise, multi-year positioning, but its price remains a significant deterrent for Prairie farmers
When it comes to navigating through your crop, how accurate is accurate enough? It wasn’t so long ago that farmers scoffed at autosteer, saying “straight-ish” was straight enough. Now, as some producers are realizing the benefits of inter-row seeding and as soil compaction is becoming a more mainstream concern, controlled traffic farming and accurate-to-the-inch navigation […] Read more
Interested in controlled traffic farming? Start with small steps
CTF can prove both practical and beneficial, even with a step partway toward controlling in-field equipment traffic
For Prairie farmers who measure land in hundreds or thousands of acres, how much does it really matter if you drive your equipment a handful of inches this way or that way? A whole lot, says Adam Gurr, a Manitoba producer who completed a master’s degree in agronomy focused on controlled traffic farming (CTF) and […] Read more
Farming North of 60
Meet Your Farming Neighbours: A Prairie grain farmer finds new opportunities in the Yukon
Leona Watson’s upbringing on a large-scale Prairie grain farm didn’t prepare her for farming in a land where the permafrost shifts landscapes and the sun can shine 19 hours a day. Or did it? Six years after the born-and-bred farm girl followed her outfitter husband, Mac, as far north as farming allows, Watson sees a […] Read more
How to reach 52 bushels per acre of canola
Tips to take you beyond common management practices to maximize canola yields
Canadian canola yields have increased substantially over the last few decades. In the early 2000s, the five-year average was 25.3 bushels per acre. By 2010, that had risen to 33 bu/ac. Today, it’s about 41 bu/ac. While the upward trend is very positive, yield has been fairly flat for the last five years due — […] Read more
Kinze offers two high-speed planters for 2021 growing season
No compromises on seed singulation and placement with high speeds
Kinze Manufacturing will be releasing two high-speed planter models in time for the 2021 planting season — the 24-row 4905 True Speed planter and, because it is ready ahead of schedule, a 16-row configuration as well. “The 16-row configuration was originally planned for 2022, but testing went so well, we’re pleased that we are able […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
