autonomous sprayer at dusk

Night spraying for forage pest can spare pollinators

Spraying after sundown is also more effective in controlling lesser clover leaf weevil

Glacier FarmMedia — Prairie forage growers who plan to spray for a particular problem pest, but want to avoid collateral damage to more beneficial insects, may get their best and cleanest shot in the dark. Forage and seed producers heard about the benefits of night spraying for red clover crops during the Saskatchewan Forage Seed […] Read more


Treating and not treating alternating strips of pasture with insecticides has been found to keep grasshoppers in check — while helping to maintain populations of the pest’s natural predators.

Reduced-area pest spraying can still hit moving targets

The RAAT method can cut insecticide use in half and still kill most grasshoppers on pasture

Glacier FarmMedia — Grasshoppers, as their name suggests, hop from place to place in grassy fields. Taking advantage of that natural behaviour, University of Wyoming scientists have devised a way to control grasshoppers on pastures with smaller volumes of pesticides. The method is called Reduced Agent and Area Treatments (RAAT), in which farmers apply an […] Read more

An aerial view of spraying operations at Jake Ayre's family farm near Minto, Man.

Spraying facts, fallacies and forethought

Experts share tips on what you need to know before you spray

To spray or not to spray? That is the question many farmers will be asking themselves in the coming weeks. While it’s still too early to say what pest and disease forecasts will look like this season, it’s never too soon to start thinking about temperature and other factors that can help to determine the […] Read more


In high-risk areas where a crop is stalled and flea beetles are feeding aggressively, the action threshold of 25 per cent may be met and surpassed within hours. In a situation like this, growers may want to spray at less than 25 per cent leaf area loss, giving the crop a chance to get through the day a little stronger, offers CCC’s Curtis Rempel.

Flea beetles: how to improve spray results

Five important tips when applying foliar insecticides

You’ve probably heard this before: the best defence against flea beetles is a canola crop that emerges uniformly, with five to eight plants per square foot, and grows quickly to the four-leaf stage. Weather conditions often conspire against these best laid plans, pushing canola growers to plan B: foliar insecticide. Farmers get particularly frustrated when […] Read more

Pre-harvest aids

Pre-harvest aids

Know why you apply: tips for assessing the need for pre-harvest aids

Canola can be a challenge to harvest if stands are too thin or too weedy or if there’s uneven ripening due to crop stage differences. Green stalks and weeds not only hinder harvest but can cause problems in storage too. In situations like these, many Prairie farmers opt to use pre-harvest aids as a late-season […] Read more


Kochia isn’t fussy about where it grows and can flourish in almost any conditions.

Keep kochia off your farm

Why kochia is one of Western Canada’s most problematic weeds, plus how to knock herbicide resistance on the head or prevent its development in the first place

Prairie farmers are well known for their hospitality but there’s one visitor they want nothing to do with — kochia. Kochia has become one of the most problematic weeds in Western Canada. A single kochia plant can produce up to 25,000 seeds and can achieve a germination rate of 60 per cent or higher depending […] Read more

Among the most serious weed resistance concerns on the Prairies are wild oat and green foxtail, both seen here in this photo from Manitoba’s Interlake region in 2020.

How to scout for herbicide-resistant weeds

What to look for and when, plus prevention tips and an update on herbicide-resistant downy brome in canola

Get out and scout. Next to diversifying your rotations and herbicide selection as much as possible, it’s a critical part of managing herbicide-resistant weeds on your farm in 2022. Scouting is important because without an accurate and thorough picture of what resistant species exist in your fields, you can’t make the best management decisions. More […] Read more


File photo of a dicamba-damaged soybean plant. (Reuters)

U.S. EPA reviewing dicamba over crop damage claims

Chicago | Reuters –– The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is assessing whether dicamba herbicide can be sprayed safely on soybean and cotton plants genetically engineered to resist the chemical, without the procedure posing “unreasonable risks” to other crops, an agency official said Tuesday. Farmers and scientists for years have reported problems with dicamba drifting away […] Read more

(TopconPositioning.com)

Brandt closes GeoShack deal, locks up Topcon sales in Canada

Tractor company revives Ontario deal

A deal to make Brandt Tractor the exclusive dealer for Topcon geopositioning equipment clear across Canada has been resuscitated. Regina-based Brandt announced Tuesday it has closed its previously-announced deal to buy the assets of GeoShack Canada — two weeks after Dallas-based GeoShack declared that “a mutually beneficial deal… has not been attained.” GeoShack has been […] Read more