Bill Strautman

REGINA – Micronutrient fertilizers can make a big difference to crops growing on deficient soils. However, if those soils are only marginally deficient or not deficient at all, crop response can be minimal and any micronutrient fertilizer applied would be a waste of money. Rigas Karamanos told farmers at the Saskatchewan Soil Conservation Association conference […] Read more

EDMONTON – Inoculating pulse crops with rhizobium bacteria is one of farming’s great bargains, but stressed plants won’t be able to take advantage of the full savings. Fran Walley, a soils professor at the University of Saskatchewan, told the recent Farm Tech conference in Edmonton that herbicides are among the biggest culprits. Root hair curling […] Read more

BIGGAR, Sask. – Richard Elenko values his time when seeding. Seeding his crops early has multiple benefits, so efficiency is a priority. One area of concern for Elenko was getting timely fills for his air carts without adding manpower. He said it all started with proper crop agronomics. “Placing phos (phosphorus) with the seed is […] Read more

Biggar, Sask. – Richard Elenko uses a four-compartment trailer with a conveyor system as the main feeder for one air drill and he has another seed and fertilizer tender for his second air drill. He modified a tandem truck, dividing the box into three compartments and adding three remote end gate chute controls and a […] Read more

RED DEER – The theory that calcium compounds can control sclerotinia stem rot in canola is based more on anecdotal than scientific evidence, but an Alberta researcher says it has a strong scientific rationale. Stephen Strelkov, a researcher with the University of Alberta, told the recent Agronomy Update in Red Deer that calcium’s ability to […] Read more

CARMANGAY, Alta. – At first glance, Dennis Benci’s John Deere 1860 looks like a standard three-row disc drill. Except John Deere didn’t make a three-row 1860 drill. In the late 1990s, Benci, a seed grower near Carmangay, Alta., was seeding with a New Noble Seedovator. “I would classify that as minimum till – it’s a […] Read more

Penzance, Sask. – Harvesting sunflowers can be an exercise in patience, according to one long-term grower. The oilseed has been grown on the Thorson farm near Penzance, Sask., for more than 30 years. “My dad grew them in ’72 and we’ve grown them, off and on, ever since. I’ve been growing them fairly steady since […] Read more

Pasqua, Sask. – Until the spring of 2004, Rob Rigetti had used a three-ton truck to haul water to his sprayer. For the past two years, he’s been using a 48-foot, two-axle dry goods van pulled behind a highway tractor. Rigetti had been talking to neighbours who used a similar trailer to haul their water. […] Read more

EDMONTON – One of the most common problems customers have with greenhouse fertilizers for bedding plants and vegetables is water quality, says Thom Rypien of Westgro Horticultural Supplies in Calgary. “Just because the water is potable doesn’t mean it’s going to be good for plant growth,” Rypien told the recent Alberta Horticultural Congress in Edmonton. […] Read more