Crop Management
KYIV, Dec 13 (Reuters) – Ukrainian farms have harvested 84.17 million tonnes of grain from 98.6 percent of the sowing area, with the yield averaging 5.36 tonnes per hectare, the agriculture ministry said on Monday. The volume includes 32.4 million tonnes of wheat, 9.9 million tonnes of barley, 40 million tonnes of corn and small […] Read more
Crop Management
True fertilizer picture depends on soil sampling depth
A history lesson: In the 1960s and ‘70s when a database was developed for fertilizer recommendations from a soil test for the western Canadian prairies, all the sampling was done to 24 inches (60 centimetres). The samples were divided into zero-to-six-inch (0 to 15 cm) and six-to-12-inch (15 to 30 cm) and 12-to-24-inch (30 to […] Read more
Four years and four Seed Terminators later
At last count the world has 256 herbicide resistant weeds that are resistant to 167 herbicides in 93 crops grown in 70 countries. Why do resistant weeds continue to spread? Because we spray them with chemicals and drag viable seeds around with our combines, would be the likely answer from Saskatchewan farmer Josh Lade. Lade, […] Read more
Your nitrogen account might be empty by spring
Jeff Schoeneau had two opposing take-away messages for farmers who caught his on-line presentation at the 2021 Saskatchewan Agronomy update. The first message was optimistic. The second somewhat different. The happy scenario dealt with crop nutrition in a setting that sees the Prairies receiving good snowfall this winter and normal rainfall in the 2022 growing […] Read more
GMO labelling saga comes to an end
In the end, it was consumer demand at the grocery counter that largely solved the GMO labelling issue before the wheels of government regulation imposed a standard. “We have a vocal minority for whom it’s an issue,” said Mike von Massow, a food economist in the University of Guelph’s food, agricultural and resource economics department. […] Read more
Canola oil content lowest since 2003
Grain Commission reports some samples at 33 percent oil, summer heat wave may have been contributing factor
The 2021 canola crop has the lowest oil content in nearly two decades, says the Canadian Grain Commission. The average oil content, from more than 2,000 canola samples collected by the commission, is around 42 percent. That’s well below the 10-year average of 44.4 percent and the lowest level since 2003. “Some of the samples […] Read moreHot, dry or both?Crop physiology under stress
Can we breed crops to tolerate both heat and drought, surviving the worst of what a growing season can do?
What exactly happens to an individual plant in your field when Mother Nature turns up the thermostat and the dehumidifier at the same time? It kills. In fact, it is a long and painful death for the plant, and there’s nothing we can do except hope for rain. That was the theme of Rosalind Buekert’s […] Read more
Precipitation soothes but will not cure
The 2021 drought, along with winds and heat, left a large part of western Canada in a serious moisture deficit
A recent snow dump in southern Alberta and Saskatchewan comes as a relief to those living in that parched landscape. However, in some of those areas, the early December snowfall was the first of the year, which does little to alleviate fears that last summer’s drought is continuing. Last week’s precipitation in southern Alberta and […] Read more
B.C. flood effects being tallied as recovery begins
Provincial and federal officials are looking at how to best get financial help to British Columbia producers hit by flooding that has damaged their property and killed hundreds of thousands of farm animals. “Our hearts continue to be with the folks that are struggling with the very difficult situations that are happening right now,” B.C. […] Read more
Greeneye sees all, knows all
The holy grail of autonomous nozzle control for picking weeds out of crop lineup has been green on green
Israel-based Greeneye Technology commercialized an artificial intelligence-based precision spraying system it claims can detect and spray weeds with 95.7 percent accuracy in corn and soy stands. Its early adopter program in Nebraska, Iowa and Illinois is sold out but in 2023 the technology will be offered in more regions, including Canada. The system will also […] Read more
