It is much easier for optimum silage cutting to have fields level and rocks pushed into the ground thanks to rolling the field. But what is the best timing for field rolling? Ongoing research by Farming Smarter to examine proper timing of field rolling is showing rolling fields once the crop gets to the fourth-leaf and first-node stages can reduce both yield and quality of barley.

Roll, roll, roll your fields

The next line might not be gently down the stream, but more along the lines of sooner rather than later

If you are a barley grower who likes to roll fields to make them level before harvest, don’t do it the day before your agronomist arrives to do field scouting. It makes it difficult for them to find the weeds. That may be one important reason to roll fields earlier in the spring as opposed […] Read more

A study by Prairie Agricultural Machinery Institute indicates more powerful fans may be needed to properly condition canola in larger bins. However, installing something like this 50-horsepower centrifugal fan could require you upgrade your electrical system to three-phase power as well.

The challenge with large grain bins when storing canola

Fan limitations can make it harder to store canola safely

Grain bins on Prairie farms are generally a lot bigger than they used to be. But have best practices for storage management kept pace? Charley Sprenger, a research project lead at Prairie Agricultural Machinery Institute (PAMI) in Portage la Prairie, Man., addressed that question during her Canola Week 2021 presentation on canola storage. “A lot […] Read more


With the seeding rate calculator at canolacalculator.ca, enter seed size, target plant stand, estimated emergence percentage and seed cost per pound and the calculator provides a seeding rate and estimated seed cost per acre.

Canola plant establishment quiz

Find out how much you know with this CCC quiz

The Canola Council of Canada (CCC) recommends a canola stand of five to eight canola plants per square foot. This is based on hybrid canola studies from Western Canada, which show canola crops need a minimum of three to four plants per square foot to maintain yield potential. Crops with plant populations lower than this […] Read more

AAC Brandon spring wheat planted at target plant stands of (left to right) nine, 21 and 33 plants per square foot at the Manitoba Agriculture Diversification Centre in Melita, Man., in 2021.

Should Manitoba Ag’s guidelines for target plant populations for spring cereal crops be adjusted?

Study concludes recommendations are good, even for newer, higher-yielding varieties

Choosing the right seeding rate for spring cereal crops is an important consideration for farmers looking for yield results that can maximize the return on their seeding dollars. A dense, uniform plant stand increases the crop’s yield potential, not only by reducing weed competition but also by compensating for plants lost to disease, insects and […] Read more


In Alberta, kochia patches could form in new parts of the field or neighbouring fields where tumbleweeds may have blown, says AAFC’s Shaun Sharpe. Approaches and compacted areas may also be potential areas of invasion and spread as well as along roadsides, grid roads and field margins and around sloughs. Weed specialist Clark Brenzil highly recommends preventing the growth of kochia by planting perennial forages in ditches and even in saline (or otherwise non-productive) areas in fields.

Weed issues to watch in 2022

How different factors, such as moisture, temperature, herbicide resistance and others, may affect weed populations this year

After a series of dry years on the Prairies — with 2021 being driest of all — the provincial weed outlook for 2022 is varied across Western Canada and field to field. From kochia invading new territory to a possible increase of overwintering weeds — such as later-emerging false cleavers, Canada thistle, shepherd’s purse and […] Read more

Variety trial comparisons have shown the new Fabelle faba bean outyields the long-standing Snowbird faba bean anywhere from six to 13 per cent, depending on the location. The crop has an excellent fit in rotation with other pulse crops and for extending the canola rotation. And with improved nutritional features, Fabelle can work well as a human food and livestock feed protein source.

New faba bean variety may be the key

Improved nutritional properties well suited to plant protein market

[UPDATED: April 12, 2022] Terry Youzwa hasn’t grown faba beans for a couple of years, but he can see a time in the near future where the crop will be back in rotation with a good fit as one of the pulse crops regularly grown on his northeast Saskatchewan farm.   Youzwa, who farms with his […] Read more


CXN360 is a marketing app from Ag Exchange Network designed to help farmers get the best prices for their grain. Recently, a new tool called PXN360 was added to the app that helps farmers find the best prices on fuel.

Find the best prices on petroleum, diesel and propane

A new tool from CXN360 offers easy access to the best fuel prices

Across the Prairies, producers continue to grapple with escalating fuel prices that make it harder to farm profitably — but there could be some relief in sight. PXN360 is a new offering from the company behind the popular online grain marketplace CXN360. PXN360 (the PXN stands for Petroleum Exchange Network) is a new tool from […] Read more

Sheri Strydhorst says a couple of weeks after the crop is up and growing, farmers should be scouting fields, checking as many acres as possible and making an assessment of what’s “normal” and “not normal.” Look closely at plants above ground, at ground level and dig up a few to examine the roots. Strydhorst cautions against getting lazy or complacent — nothing beats having boots in the field to identify problems before they get out of hand.

Get boots in the field as variables increase

Field scouting is even more important this year as farmers face an increasing number of variables

There are a few good reasons to put some real effort into field scouting this coming season. Crop growth and development, particularly with wild weather, can be much different than “normal.” And knowing what pests are out there or not out there, or the degree of severity if they are out there, makes for much […] Read more


A herbicide layering strategy uses a pre-seed treatment on emerged weeds while using soil-applied products simultaneously to control weeds that emerge a couple of weeks after the initial application. The pre-seed treatment helps to remove early-emerged weed pressure while the soil-applied application, when activated by moisture, provides extended control to help reduce weed pressure prior to the application of an in-crop herbicide. This type of strategy not only helps with early weed removal and allowing the crop to establish and take advantage of the nutrients and moisture available, but it also provides farmers more options for an in-crop application that will best target the later-emerging weeds that have to be dealt with.

Take a layered approach to herbicides

Develop an effective herbicide layering strategy — it could be one of your most powerful tools in the fight against herbicide resistance

It’s no secret that herbicide-resistant weeds are making life increasingly difficult for many crop growers in Western Canada, but the situation is far from hopeless, says an agricultural expert. Canada currently ranks third in the world for herbicide-resistant weeds, trailing only the United States and Australia in that category. Studies have shown there are currently […] Read more

Examples of field overlap include riparian zones, irregular field shapes and obstacles such as hydro towers.

The problem with field overlap

Excess nutrient applications in these areas waste fertilizer dollars and can lead to crop losses and environmental damage

There are lots of reasons why the traffic patterns of farm equipment can overlap in a field. The field could be an odd shape, there may be a stream cutting across it, or large obstacles like hydro towers have to be driven around. If this happens while you’re applying fertilizer, nutrients can build up in […] Read more