A canola field blooms west of Fairholme, in north-western Saskatchewan. Crops are generally even and lush in the areas around Glaslyn and Mervin, according to the local ag retailers.

Farmers crossing their fingers as crops seen very healthy

Risk for sclerotinia seen as very high for some canola growers

The crops bordering Highway 3, between Glaslyn and Turtleford, are even and lush. Canola is blooming. Peas are flowering. Crops look so good, “it’s kind of scary,” said Geoff Schick, assistant location manager at AgriTeam in Glaslyn, Sask. And it’s not only farmers in north-western Saskatchewan who are crossing their fingers for a bumper crop. […] Read more

5 tips for fungicide application

5 tips for fungicide application

If you've decided to spray, make sure you get the most out of your investment

If you’ve decided to invest in added fungicide protection this season, do everything you can to get your spray spot-on. And to help you get the most out of your investment, I’ve put together my top five fungicide spray tips.


This photo shows soybean cyst nemadoe on the root of a soybean plant. It was taken with a macro lens. SCN is not currently a problem in Western Canada, but it is likely to show up soon.

New soybean cyst nematode solution

Syngenta has a new biological seed treatment to fight soybean cyst nematode

Last June, Syngenta Can­ada Inc. announced the registration and launch of a new biological seed treatment for soybean cyst nematode (SCN), Clariva pn. Clariva works in a direct and targeted way to reduce the growth and feeding of soybean cyst nematode. While soybean cyst nematode is currently not an issue in Western Canada, it’s good […] Read more

crop sprayer in the field

Two modes are better than one

The newest pulse fungicides have chemicals from two different fungicide groups

Farmers across the Prairies are looking at high pulse prices and trying to find ways to add pulses to their 2016 rotation. Crop protection companies are ready to help, releasing new fungicides to help farmers protect their yield from diseases like ascochyta blight and anthracnose. As with herbicides, to extend the life of fungicides and […] Read more


What’s it take to produce new pesticides?

What’s it take to produce new pesticides?

Farmers know a lot about using pesticides. Here’s a chance to learn about how chemical companies dream them up, produce them and market them to you

Have you ever wondered how chemical companies create and launch new pesticides? How much it costs them, how they decide what it will cost you and how they come up with those names? Well, we were wondering the same thing at Grainews, so we talked to Kelly Bennett. Bennett manages Dow AgroSciences’ cereal broadleaf herbicides […] Read more

stripe rust on wheat

Winter wheat stripe rust update

Four Alberta counties reporting, fungicide applications may be necessary in some cases

Stripe rust on winter wheat has now been reported in the following counties: Cardston, Lethbridge, Lacombe, and Warner. Additionally, there was a report of potential stripe rust in the Edmonton area and there is some evidence that stripe rust overwintered in Alberta again this year. Frequent scouting of winter wheat fields across the province is […] Read more


sunflower

Making money growing sunflowers

Sunflowers can be very profitable in some parts of the Prairies. If you can manage sclerotinia

Agronomists say the biggest threat facing Manitoba sunflower growers is sclerotinia (head and stem rot), but the fungal disease can be managed with proper crop rotation and fungicide applications. This formed part of the message of a presentation submitted to the Manitoba Agronomists’ Conference at the University of Manitoba in December. According to Troy Turner, […] Read more

herbicide-sprayed flax field

Control the pasmo in your flax

Left untreated, the pasmo fungus can take five to seven bushels per acre from 
your flax yields. Luckily, farmers have effective fungicide options


Flax is an increasingly popular crop. With growing demand from Europe, the U.S. and China, flax is likely to stay in high demand (with attendant high prices) for the foreseeable future. It also produces a high profit per acre compared with grains and works well in crop rotations to break disease and pest cycles. While […] Read more


2014 crop weather determines 2015 agronomy

Agronomy tips... from the field

Whether it was a late start, an unusually wet growing season or possibly even September snow, there was a lot of weather in 2014 that most of us would rather forget. But let’s not do that too soon. Last year’s weather could have lingering consequences that extend into 2015’s cropping plans. For one thing, the […] Read more

test plots of seeded wheat

Plant growth regulators

They’re not new, but plant growth regulators 
are not yet common on the Canadian Prairies

Prairie farmers might be seeing ads for plant growth regulators for the first time, but PGR’s are not new. “They’ve been using them in Europe for over 30 years,” Tom Tregunno, Engage Agro’s product manager, told farmers at the Indian Head Agricultural Research Foundation (IHARF) Crop Management field day in July. Plant growth regulators are […] Read more