Shannon Mcarton

As crop threats go, wireworm is one of the most difficult to predict. Its fickle behaviour, from feeding choices and patterns to life-span, makes it near-impossible to determine populations or geographic distribution. What we do know is that wireworm problems are increasing. Wireworms are among the most significant early-season stressors for many crops in Western […] Read more

Seed treatments reduce the threat from flea beetles, but if you had a high flea beetle population at harvest, be on the lookout this spring

With its ability to mai-ntain large overwintering populations, the flea beetle is a perennial spring headache for Prairie farmers. Their huge appetite for anything cruciferous poses a huge threat for mustard, canola and rapeseed. Eight species of flea beetles are known to attack these crops, but the real damage comes from the crucifer flea beetle […] Read more

Agronomists are finding swede midge in Prairie canola fields. Add this new pest to your 2013 field-scouting list

The Swede midge, a gall midge native to Europe and Asia, was first identified in Ontario in 2000. In Europe, Swede midge is a common threat to cruciferous vegetable crops like broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower. Its first discovery in Ontario was in vegetable crops, and it has been closely monitored since because of its potentially […] Read more

Understanding and following the rules for pre-harvest pesticide application can save you a lot of time and money

In a year of unusual conditions across much of the Prairies, some unusual problems arose. Pre-harvest interval, the time between the last application of pesticide and the safe harvesting of edible crops for immediate consumption, was a much bigger consideration than usual because of the need for late-season spray applications. With a strict tolerance approach to residuals […] Read more