Big Canada thistle plants can spell trouble in the combine, especially when there are large patches of them.

Fall herbicide application timing in canola

To control perennial weeds in canola, there are benefits to both pre- and post-harvest control options — the deciding factor could be tied to your goals

When deciding between a pre-harvest or post-harvest spray application to control tough perennial weeds, there are always some key considerations for farmers. The extent of the weed problem and harvest timing are important ones, of course, but other factors such as herbicide cost and killing frost also play into the decision. To control a weed […] Read more

To hit up problem weeds, such as herbicide-resistant kochia (far left photo), Alberta farmer Dallas Vert applies a post-harvest weed control treatment of Valtera. Last year, Saskatchewan farmer Dallas Leduc’s post-harvest application of Roundup ProActive 360 tank mixed with four ounces of 2,4-D worked well on Canada thistle (middle photo) and narrow-leaved hawk’s beard (right) on his farm.

Zap troublesome weeds in the fall

Whether it works best pre- or post-harvest depends on several factors

A sampling of western Canadian producers, when asked about their fall weed control measures, have most generally agreed that either a pre- or post-harvest herbicide application is a valuable management tool. Most of the farmers contacted leaned toward a post-harvest treatment with a glyphosate product, although there are a number of caveats that come into […] Read more



A few years ago, Harding believed bacterial leaf streak would come and go sporadically, remaining little more than a curiosity. Now he thinks it’s here to stay and could become a major threat to cereal crops.

Bacterial leaf streak is a disease you want to watch for

This emerging disease, not to be confused with bacterial leaf spot, is reaching economic levels in some Prairie fields — here’s what you need to know

In case farmers don’t already have plenty of cereal diseases to worry about, there’s a new one pushing its way into Prairie fields — and it’s a difficult one to tackle. Called bacterial leaf streak (not to be confused with its less problematic cousin bacterial leaf spot), the disease is likely to become a major […] Read more


Bacteria streaming from a plant leaf with a bacterial infection as seen under a microscope.

Top tips for managing bacterial leaf streak

There may not be in-season management tools yet, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have options

Bacterial leaf streak — a new-to-Canada pathogen that has started to cause economic damage in cereal crops over the last handful of years — is difficult to manage. With no effective, economical, in-season management tools currently available, farmers have few options to tackle the new threat. That said, proactive farmers aren’t entirely without options, says […] Read more

High-yielding wheat can sometimes result in lower protein content due to the dilution effect in the grain — but the yield of this crop was only slightly above average.

Crop advisor casebook: Why did the protein content in this wheat crop take a hit?

A Crop Advisor's Solution from the May 11, 2021 issue of Grainews

John has a 3,500-acre mixed grain and cattle farm not far from Brandon, Man., where he grows wheat, barley, canola and hay. John called me one day shortly after harvest when he ran into trouble at the grain elevator. As he explained over the phone, the problem was his wheat didn’t qualify as identity preserved […] Read more


An eight-inch-wide strip of tillage in a field with heavy corn residue.

Several benefits come with an eight-inch-wide strip of tillage

Western Canadian row crop farmers Dean Toews in southern Manitoba and John Kolk in southern Alberta have different levels of experience with strip tillage, but both see the value of working up these eight-inch-wide strips of soil in their fields with a range of production and conservation benefits. Toews, who is part of the family […] Read more

The first confirmed clubroot cases in the Municipal District of Smoky River (Peace region) and in the Counties of Grande Prairie (Peace region) and Wheatland (east of Calgary) were found in 2020.

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


Kelly Turkington says farmers who want to get the most out of their disease management tools should apply the same principles behind 4R nutrient stewardship to disease management.

The 4Rs of disease management

How to get the most out of your disease management tools

Some say life success is about being in the right place at the right time. These are part of the guiding principle behind 4R nutrient stewardship, which farmers know well. Kelly Turkington, an AAFC pathology research scientist based in Lacombe, Alta., said the same principles can be applied to disease management. Speaking at the Farm […] Read more

Crop advisor dos and don’ts for #Plant21

Crop advisor dos and don’ts for #Plant21

A few pointers on what goes into optimizing crop production and profitability

One key message looking at the coming 2021 seeding and growing seasons from a panel of western Canadian agronomists and crop advisors in late March — pay attention to the details. That may seem like a no-brainer, but the agronomists point out there are plenty of important dos and don’ts — some small, some not […] Read more