pea crop

Up seed rate to add pea yield

Prairie researchers looks at the costs and benefits of combinations 
of four pea input treatments. Try their results on your farm

While individual aspects of field pea production have been researched, combined agronomic factors have not been evaluated simultaneously before. Led by Laryssa Grenkow, research manager at Western Applied Research Corporation, a team of researchers, including Eric Johnson, Anne Kirk, Stewart Brandt, Sherrilyn Phelps, Chris Holzapfel and Bryan Nybo, determined which agronomic practices contribute most to […] Read more

The CTF system makes it easier to do inter-row seeding.

What you need to know about controlled traffic farming

CTF enthusiasts are drawing lots of interest, and starting to collect 
long-term data. For some, the benefits will outweigh the costs


When you think about compaction, you might think an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure. Controlled traffic farming is a system that may be both cure and prevention. Controlled traffic farming separates crop from traffic zones. “Wheel tracks are confined to specific lanes or tramlines,” Peter Gamache told delegates at Crop […] Read more


hydroelectric power pole

Look up and stay safe

Overhead power lines are some of the most common 
causes of farm accidents. Be prepared on your farm

Do you have overhead power lines and guy wires around your farm? Do you know how high they really are from the ground? Are you confident that your equipment is low enough to avoid contact when transporting? How about in the fields or along the roads you travel? Some of the most common accidents in […] Read more

pickup truck stuck in mud

Stuck!! How to pull them out safely

We’re sure nobody has ever been stuck on your farm. 
But, just in case, here’s how to handle it

You’ve all read the stories about how a seemingly simple tow job of a stuck piece of equipment turned into a tragic accident. You’ve heard it first hand from friends or families. You may have even been stuck yourself and had a close call. But have you examined what happened and considered finding safer ways? […] Read more


Spinning out with farm equipment

Winter is a time when trucks are often stuck on ice or packed snow. This is much different than being stuck in the mud and requires a bit of a change of perspective when it comes to getting them unstuck. Fast is slow — move slow, don’t lose more traction than you already have and […] Read more

pouring farm chemicals

Chemical safety on the farm

You use them so often they may not even seem to be all that dangerous
 anymore. But make sure you know just what you’re dealing with

Every year farmers and farm workers come in contact with a wide variety of chemicals. Often they’re used every season and farmers can become familiar with them, even a bit complacent about the dangers they pose. Each chemical will have an information sheet and information tag. All chemicals and medications have Material Safety Data Sheets […] Read more


Men in doorway of barn

How to fire farm employees

Nobody wants to fire employees. Learn how to do it kindly

Farms are unique places of employment: they are often family businesses, they are not unionized, the work is often seasonal, they sometimes house their employees, and they are exempt from some provincial employment standards. As grain farms on the Prairies grow, so do their number of employees. While some farms still get by with a […] Read more

wheat field

Copper applications have limited impact on wheat

Researchers say non-targeted copper application does not increase macronutrients

The importance of micronutrients, including boron (B), chloride (Cl), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), molybdenum (Mo), zinc (Zn) and nickel (Ni), has come under the microscope in recent years. Some researchers say a lack of micronutrients can cause yield loss. According to Tee Boon Goh, a specialist in soil chemistry and mineralogy at the University […] Read more


root rot in a pea plant

Minimizing the impact of Aphanomyces

There are no in-crop solutions to root rot in peas and lentils. But there 
are ways to minimize your risk of losing yield to Aphanomyces

Given the wet springs and dry summers we’ve seen in recent years, Aphanomyces euteiches — Aphanomyces root rot — has become a real problem for pea and lentil growers. First confirmed in Saskatchewan in 2012 and then in Alberta in 2013, the disease has been slowly creeping across the country, destroying crops in its wake. Making […] Read more

soybean field

Weed management in soybeans

With high seed prices, farmers will be tempted to lower soybean seeding rates

Soybean farmers have been facing a growing threat to their bottom line: rising seed costs. Seeds for the very popular glyphosate resistant cultivars have increased in price by $47.75 an hectare (or 230 per cent) since they were first introduced in 1996. This trend is likely to continue given soon-to-be-introduced varieties with new herbicide resistant […] Read more