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Tag Archives agronomy

A bertha armyworm gets its fill on a canola seed pod.
Crops, Wheat & Chaff

Controlling bugs with seed treatments

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Technology has given western Canadian farmers access to a wide range of options when it comes to insect control in canola. Crucifer and striped flea beetles, wireworm, cutworm, root maggot, cabbage seedpod weevil, bertha armyworm and diamondback moth are just some insect pests that can be particularly problematic for both crop health and farmers’ bottom […] Read more
Crops, Features, Livestock

What is holistic management?

Are cover crops on the rise?

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Holistic management is a framework for making decisions by looking at your entire environment, including your soil and the living organisms in it, how you’re capturing rainfall and energy from the sun and the diversity of the entire biological community. It also includes taking into account the environmental, economic and social consequences of the decisions […] Read more
Hand over wheat field in early summer evening
Columns, Crops

The direction of western Canadian agronomic research today

How agronomic research in Western Canada can be more effective and efficient

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Prairie farmers have become very successful at growing very good yielding, high quality crops. Success is due in large part to many years of excellent agronomic research including advances in crop breeding, sustainable crop rotations, improved soil management, development of direct seeding technology, development of fertilizer and nutrient management practices and improved management to control weeds, […] Read more
Tillage recruited to deal with moisture issues
Crops, Features

Tillage recruited to deal with moisture issues

Farmers still want to be zero tillers, but high residue, excess moisture and weeds are putting tillage tools back in the field

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Necessity is the mother of invention, but weather appears to be the mother of necessity, these days. That seems to fit as producers talk about the need for tillage in this October Farmer Panel. Zero-till and direct seeding are still foremost on producers’ minds when they look at overall cropping practices, but with several or […] Read more
Can tillage fit into a no-till system?
Crops, Features

Can tillage fit into a no-till system?

Some zero-tillers are now looking to tillage to manage disease and weed issues

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A large majority of farmers in Western Canada have adopted zero-till systems — with the exception of those in the Red River Valley who are dealing with heavy, wet clay soils where tillage is just a fact of life. Most farmers understand the many benefits of zero till, such as prevention of soil erosion, better […] Read more
barley - Glen Nicoll
Barley, Crops, Features

Reduce your malt barley risk

Plant barley on field pea stubble, limit fungicide and reduce nitrogen application

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What are the biggest risks on producers’ radars when it comes to growing malting barley? Some might say yield losses, some might say disease, and some might say reduced kernel quality or high protein levels — or a combination of all of these problems and more. New research customizes malting barley systems based on producers’ […] Read more
Native grass prairies and sunset
Crops, Features, Forages

Forages and grasses for marginal land

Permanent cover crops can increase fertility in "problem soils" over time

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Jeff Schoenau has a word for agricultural areas currently in annual production that fail to deliver a return on expensive inputs: “heartache land.” It’s better known as “marginal” land, and it can be defined as land with soil that has limitations including poor water-holding capacity and water availability to roots due to sandy texture or […] Read more
Building up the soil in your fields
Crops, Features

Building up the soil in your fields

Changing your crop rotation and management can change the content of our soil

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New research is showing that it is possible to make new, nutrient rich, productive soil on your farm without waiting for eons, simply by changing your crop rotation and management. The research, led by Dr. Stuart Grandy at the University of New Hampshire, is revising our conventional understanding of how soil organic matter (SOM) is […] Read more
Location of Class 2 and 3 lands in Alberta using the Agriculture Canada Land Suitability Rating System. Alberta has no Class 1 agricultural land. Alberta’s Class 2 land is mostly located in the vicinity of Calgary.

Columns, Crops

Loss of our prime agricultural lands

Agronomy Management: In Western Canada, we're losing our most productive lands

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Soil and water are the most important sustainable natural resources in Western Canada. Both are essential to produce food and sustain human life. We hear a lot about the dwindling quality and availability of freshwater supplies, but society does not recognize the importance of soil. We continue to lose more and more of our best […] Read more
A cover crop mix of warm and cool season plants ensures that soil life always has food.
Crops, Features

Good reasons to plant cover crops

Not organic? Don’t have cows? Cover crops could still be a fit on your farm

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If you went to a workshop about cover crops 10 years ago you wouldn’t have had any trouble finding an empty seat. Today, producers pack these workshops. Word is spreading about the benefits that cover crops could bring to their farms. Cover crops provide many soil and production benefits: increased organic matter content, vibrant, working […] Read more

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