Concerns over a stacked-resistance superweed have not materialized in the years since canola variety became available
There’s a recurring fear that genetically modified crops stacked with herbicide resistance will escape and become unkillable superweeds. Those questions arose again with the 2021 release of Dekalb’s Truflex DKTFLL 22 CRSC, a hybrid that features both Roundup Ready and LibertyLink technologies. Shaun Sharpe, an Agriculture Canada weed specialist in Saskatoon, said he’s not surprised […] Read more
Don Norman
Stories by Don Norman
Protecting your property against rural crime
Glacier FarmMedia – Rural crime again topped the agenda for Keystone Agricultural Producers after recent headlines returned the simmering issue to the limelight. Rural crime was among the top priorities for Manitoba’s general farm group during the last provincial election. Last month, news broke about an incident in the RM of Russell-Binscarth, in which a […] Read more
The future of agriculture looks smart
Glacier FarmMedia – The digital revolution is here. The question is, are you going to embrace the technology, or are you going to try to hide from it?” Qiang Zhang, biosystems engineering professor at the University of Manitoba, asked that question during a university-hosted event that explored technological advances in the livestock sector. Zhang’s work […] Read more
Mustard needs crop-protection support
Once the crop’s out of the ground and established, it has fewer issues with pests and diseases compared to canola
Glacier FarmMedia – While mustard growers face many of the same agronomic challenges as canola growers, they often find themselves with fewer crop protection options than canola growers do. So when Bayer recently announced its Buteo Start seed treatment for flea beetles would be available for mustard seed, mustard farmers welcomed the news. “That’s going […] Read more
Tank mix boosts aphanomyces seed treatment
Adding UPL’s Belmont as a tank mix to Rancona Trio increases the product’s effectiveness from suppression to control
Glacier FarmMedia – Farmers have another weapon in their arsenal to combat aphanomyces root rot. It’s been two years since UPL’s Rancona Trio was registered for early season suppression of aphanomyces in lentils and peas, but its product Belmont is now registered as a tank mix option for the Rancona Trio. It provides early season […] Read more
U.S. research could protect sunflowers from blackbirds
A study that tracked the birds’ behaviour during critical feeding times could help farmers develop effective strategies
Sunflower growers who grapple with crop losses from blackbirds might find help through new data. Research from the University of North Dakota used weather surveillance radar to track red-winged blackbird behaviour during critical feeding times, which could help farmers develop effective strategies to protect their harvests. The research comes from a long-term project at the […] Read more
Homegrown sunflower genetics out for tender
Man. Crop Alliance courts seed companies for the first hybrids to come out of its confection sunflower breeding program
The Manitoba Crop Alliance’s confection sunflower breeding program has yielded its first registered hybrids. The hybrids, MCA-359239 and MCA-359306, have been officially registered with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. On Oct. 15, the alliance put licences for the varieties out to tender. “This is a made-in-Manitoba success story and it’s an exciting time for our […] Read more
Bison hunt incident in Manitoba called a cautionary tale
A producer lost several bison to an authorized hunt in mid-October that has been linked to a business deal gone wrong
Glacier FarmMedia – The president of the Manitoba Bison Association says producers can take lessons from a recent incident that culminated in an unauthorized bison hunt on a Binscarth-area ranch without the landowner’s knowledge. In mid-October, rancher Brendan Liske reported to police that several of his bison had been shot, ranch locks had been changed […] Read more
Phenotyping a la carte
AAFC, USask team up in robotic phenotyping of spring wheat trials
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada researchers are strapping phenotyping equipment to unmanned, ground-based vehicles (UGVs) in an effort to develop technology that will advance crop breeding programs. Keshav Singh, a research scientist from AAFC Lethbridge, is leading the three-year pilot project. Other stories in the New Seed Variety Guide 2025: “The primary goal of the project […] Read more
Early maturing soybeans
The quest for a Western Prairie comeback faces challenges
Seed companies continue to improve their early-maturing soybean varieties, but no one is holding their breath for a rebound west of the Manitoba border. “That whole Saskatchewan market has kind of faded away, so a lot of the really early genetics are just kind of sitting on the back shelf, and nobody’s really been asking […] Read more
