Farmers who grow pulse crops know that ascocyta can be a serious problem. Break the cycle on your farm
Ascochyta blight is a seed-borne disease that can cause yield loss in peas, lentils and chickpeas. Fortunately, each strain of ascochyta is crop specific — the strain that infects your lentil crop will not impact your chickpeas. This makes crop rotation the first line of defence against ascochyta. “It’s important to start with a good […] Read moreEven farmers who have no intention of going organic can learn something from successful organic practices
Organic farming has become mainstream and is an ever-growing market. What can conventional farming learn from organic farming? Larry and Pat Pollock are certified organic farmers, farming 600 acres just east of Brandon, Man. “We take great pride in the grains that we produce each year,” said Larry Pollock. “Organic farming does have its challenges, but the rewards […] Read moreIt’s doing the same thing with the same products year after year that increases the risk of herbicide resistant weeds
The discovery of glyphosate-tolerant kochia in southern Alberta is a wake up call for Western Canadian farmers to pay particular attention to proper herbicide rotation, and also to get back to the basics of good agronomic practices, say weed and herbicide specialists. While this is only one case of glyphosate-tolerant kochia, more are likely to […] Read moreWhether you have cattle or not, Kevin Elmy says there are many benefits to grazing cattle on your land
There has been a lot of talk about soil health. Lots of people don’t know what is meant by this, but are still trying to make the soil healthy. There are soil additives and techniques being discussed, but one of the quickest and most efficient ways to improve soil health is to get animals grazing […] Read moreMany farmers focus on pulse and canola acres, leaving spring wheat and durum until later in the season. This could be compromising returns
When the weather co-operates, later seeding of cereals can be fine. But cool and wet spring conditions such as those experienced in the last few years, can delay weed emergence. A pre-seed burn-off to clean a field before seeding is not effective at eliminating weeds that haven’t emerged yet. By the time farmers seed their […] Read moreThis farmer is impressed with a disc system that works through all crop residue and adds 25 per cent more acres seeded per hour
Retrofitting one wider seeding tool bar with newer, simpler disc openers has made it possible for Jody Klassen to eliminate a second air seeding system and cover more ground in a day on his north central Alberta farm. This spring will be the second year that Klassen, who crops about 5,400 acres of grains and […] Read moreMost of the Prairies saw little rain last fall and had very little snow cover. Get ready for the challenge of managing weeds in dry weather
There are very different considerations for managing weeds under dryer conditions. Some herbicides may be less effective and crops are generally less competitive. With winter precipitation levels already well below normal, if the dry conditions of last summer and fall persist into this spring, farmers may have some decisions to make when it comes to […] Read more
