As the weather warms up, redroot pigweed can become a serious problem for some crops that aren’t strong competitors. Worse yet, amaranthus retroflexus, a dicot weed in the Amaranthaceae family, is developing resistance, or appears to at least have become harder to control with Group 2 chemistries. In Ontario it has become resistant to Group […] Read more
Sunflower acres expected to jump
Sunflower prices spiked this winter and spring, which should draw out more acres in Manitoba and the Dakotas. In the third week of April, contracts for oil sunflowers were around US$17-18 per hundredweight. That translates to C$24-26 per cwt., a price that could be financially lucrative. A 2,000 pound per acre sunflower crop would generate […] Read more
Sunflowers need good start to fight weeds
The introduction of new herbicide-tolerant varieties has made weed control easier but it can still be a tricky situation
Sunflowers are one of the few crops that maintain a relatively stable acre count year after year. Very few sunflower growers drop out. Very few new growers enter the field. This year might see a slight boost in sunflower acres as soybean and canola growers reduce acres. Soil suitable for soybeans is often high-quality land […] Read more
Not as intended but, actively effective
A bio-fungicide touted as a promising biocontrol of fusarium head blight in wheat, may ultimately be used for other purposes. Field tests have shown that an un-registered bio-fungicide, called ACM941, can be used as a seed treatment to control root rot. It’s also effective against fusarium in corn. Greenhouse tests show ACM941, a strain of […] Read more
Apply last fall’s missed nitrogen this spring
It’s not too late to apply last fall’s N this month, if you missed your regular 2019 window there are spring solutions available
According to the Agriculture Canada precipitation map, large areas of all three prairie provinces received 115 to more than 200 percent of normal rainfall in September and October last fall. Created on Nov. 1, the map was prepared in conjunction with Natural Resources Canada, Environment Canada and provincial and private agencies. It tells farmers what […] Read more
New use found for unregistered bio-fungicide
A bio-fungicide touted as a promising biocontrol of fusarium head blight in wheat, may ultimately be used for other purposes. Field tests have shown that an un-registered bio-fungicide, called ACM941, can be used as a seed treatment to control root rot. It’s also effective against fusarium in corn. Greenhouse tests show ACM941, a strain of […] Read more
Sunflowers may be poised for comeback
Prices and buyer interest may make it seem like a reasonable choice for farmers, who could plant 225,000 acres this year
Sunflowers might be getting their mojo back after years of farmers throwing in the towel on the old crop. With expected profitability on the eastern Prairies equalling competing crops in 2020, Scoular’s Robert Deraas expects to see more farmers look at the crop again. “It’s going to turn around dramatically,” said Deraas about North American […] Read more
A sustainable farm with a mission
The Loewith dairy farm has a five-point mission statement pinned to the wall to remind staff of its values and priorities
COPETOWN, Ont. — When Ben Loewith walks through the dairy barns on his family farm, he is filled with contentment from a job well done. Keeping a modern dairy sustainable means protecting the environment, contending with urban encroachment, finding competent labour and raising healthy, productive cows. Continuous improvement in all those areas has always driven […] Read more
Ag Canada lowers canola ending stocks forecast
Winnipeg,(MarketsFarm)– Canadian canola ending stocks will be much tighter than earlier thought, according to updated supply/demand tables from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada released late Dec. 19 that account for the latest Statistics Canada production numbers. Projected canola ending stocks for 2019/20 were lowered to 3.500 million tonnes by Agriculture Canada, which compares with the November […] Read more
New Manitoba farm commodity group comes up with a name
Manitoba Crop Alliance — that’s the name of a proposed farm group in Manitoba. Five commodity groups, representing corn, flax, sunflowers, winter cereals and wheat-barley growers, are planning to join forces in Manitoba. The steering committee behind the new group unveiled the name Nov. 25. “Our legal counsel indicated the (new) entity needed a name […] Read more
