According to Hector Carcamo of AAFC, low populations of lygus bugs can actually benefit canola crops.

When a pest isn’t a pest

Finding flea beetles and lygus bugs in canola fields doesn’t necessarily mean they’re a problem. Sometimes lygus bugs can even benefit the crop

Insect pests aren’t always true pests. Hard as it may be for farmers to imagine, sometimes the insects do more good than harm. That was a key message from an April online seminar on insect control in canola organized by the University of Manitoba’s Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences. The three panelists — Alejandro […] Read more

Enhanced efficiency fertilizers must pay off

The potential yield gain isn’t enough to entice farmers, soil scientist says

Glacier FarmMedia — Enhanced efficiency fertilizers work. They might even be able to pay for themselves. But right now the bottom line impact is too unclear for a lot of farmers to embrace them, University of Manitoba soil scientist Mario Tenuta acknowledged during a discussion at St. Jean Farm Days last month in St. Jean […] Read more


U of M professor Paul Bullock checks data from a portable weather station during development of the FHB risk assessment tool.

Online fusarium management tool due out this spring

Preliminary tests of the online tool showed a good level of accuracy

A follow-up to a story we first brought you last July about a new online tool being developed by soil scientists at the University of Manitoba to make fusarium head blight (FHB) risk management in cereal crops easier for Prairie farmers. Paul Bullock, a senior scholar with the U of M’s department of soil science, […] Read more

Here we see a cover crop grazing blend at the Ag in Motion farm show near Langham, Sask., in 2023.

Grazing cover crops shows soil health dividends

Livestock producers see the benefits but say they could really use more information

Glacier FarmMedia — If you’ve wondered whether livestock producers are taking a different approach to cover crops than those growing them for the grain — and are seeing distinct benefits in doing so — the surveys so far say yes. Callum Morrison, a crop production extension specialist for Manitoba Agriculture at Carman and a master’s […] Read more


Managing automated systems from inside the cab or supervising fully autonomous machines remotely requires rethinking how to best input instructions and receive feedback.

A new kind of communication with your tractor

U of M focuses on improving interactions with automated systems

One thing machinery brands have emphasized for decades when introducing new machines is the incremental improvements they’ve made in ergonomics in the cab. Controls continually get easier to manipulate and feel more natural to use, and cabs get more comfortable. Having attended more than a few machine introductions, I’ve heard brand marketing staff describe in […] Read more

Dr. Digvir Jayas. (University of Manitoba photo)

Acclaimed Manitoba stored grain researcher now Alberta bound

Digvir Jayas named president at University of Lethbridge

A leading Canadian researcher and expert in safe storage of grain is headed westbound and up to the head office at another Prairie university. Dr. Digvir Jayas, currently on sabbatical as professor and vice-president (research and international) at the University of Manitoba, will become president and vice-chancellor at the University of Lethbridge effective July 1 […] Read more


File photo of potatoes in storage. (Kativ/E+/Getty Images)

Potato storage research to get boost

A federal-provincial investment goes to improve an existing storage facility at the University of Manitoba

Manitoba’s potato research landscape is getting a funding injection to improve infrastructure. The governments of Canada and Manitoba are investing $98,970 through the Canadian Agricultural Partnership to upgrade the University of Manitoba’s horticulture storage facility so it can conduct potato research. Federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau and provincial Agriculture Minister Derek Johnson made the announcement […] Read more

In oilseed crops like canola, 
herbicide and fungicide application timing is crucial.

What to look for when staging canola and flax crops

Tips for herbicide and fungicide applications in oilseeds

In oilseed crops like canola and flax, timing is crucial for application of herbicides and fungicides to help protect yield. Proper herbicide and fungicide application timing based on the product label often comes down to a grower’s experience and knowledge of what growth stage is appropriate — and what that actually looks like in the […] Read more


There are a number of 4R stewardship resources you can check out to find out what's best for your farm.

4R on 90 per cent of canola acres?

The Canola Council targets use of 4R nutrient practices on 90 per cent of acres by 2025

The Canola Council of Canada (CCC) wants to see growers utilizing 4R nutrient stewardship practices on 90 per cent of canola acres by 2025. “We have found there is a strong appetite for this from NGOs, and some food companies that have sustainability metrics and want to source sustainably produced products,” says Curtis Rempel, vice-president […] Read more

Make your own seed initiative enters its ninth year

Make your own seed initiative enters its ninth year

Manitoba’s Participatory Plant Breeding program turns farmers into plant breeders

[UPDATE: Dec. 12, 2019] The University of Manitoba’s Participatory Plant Breeding (PPB) program, now in its ninth year — brings together farmers and plant breeders as partners in the plant breeding process. The program is particularly useful in crop production systems that traditional breeding programs aren’t always geared for, like organic or under unique growing […] Read more