Crop Management
Fall is a good time to control perennial and winter annual weeds. In fact, for many weeds, it is the best time for control. However, timing for optimal herbicide control varies with the type of weeds are in the field. Dandelions are best controlled from the middle of September until the end of October. However, […] Read more
Crop Management
Effective weed control begins in autumn; timing is key
Agco upgrades Gleaner, Massey harvesters
Lighter weight, increased capacity | Gradual changes in the components and design result in new combines, over time
Rather than going back to the drawing board every few years, Agco believes in the gradual evolution of its combines, focusing each new enhancement on the weakest link in the chain. This year, the company used the Farm Progress Show in Boone, Iowa, and Big Iron in Fargo, North Dakota, to introduce major upgrades to […] Read moreTrials testing efficacy of new fertilizer
Crystal Green | Company testing phosphorus prills in canola, spring wheat, corn and soybean crops
Like any technological innovation, Crystal Green does not enter the market as the lowest cost option. However, like so many agricultural innovations, the higher efficiency might justify the higher cost. In the case of Ostara Crystal Green, field trials are essential in demonstrating that the economic benefit of the company’s pearlized phosphorus prills merits a […] Read more
Extracted nutrients form new fertilizer
Waste-water management | Ostara’s patented Pearl process could help address phosphorus concerns in Lake Winnipeg
Isolating and transporting phosphorus and nitrogen has always been the Holy Grail for scientists trying to develop better manure management technologies. If those two elements could be economically extracted and exported beyond the point of origin, pollution from manure could be nearly eliminated and commercial grade fertilizer could be sold at a profit far past […] Read more
Education key to making precision happen on farms
The name of this column is Precision Happens, but I’ll suggest that precision doesn’t just happen, even though I came up with the name. It takes many things coming together to practice precision agriculture. Some people try to do precision but end up doing fuzziness and producing confusion. I’m not going to pretend that I […] Read more
German rapeseed damaged by bugs after EU insecticide ban: farmers
HAMBURG, Oct 2 (Reuters) – Rapeseed crops in Germany are suffering unusually high levels of insect damage this autumn following the European Union’s ban on a controversial insecticide previously used to protect the oilseed, German farming association DBV said on Thursday. Some farmers may suffer lower yields in the upcoming 2015 rapeseed harvest, it said. […] Read more
Japan, South Korea can stop GMO testing, says U.S. wheat group official
(Reuters) — Japan and South Korea are continuing to test the U.S. wheat they buy to make sure the grain is not contaminated with an experimental version developed by Monsanto Co., but could soon stop the practice, the head of a U.S. wheat association said on Thursday. The two countries, which are among the top […] Read more
European retrofit reduces spray drift
Wingssprayer | Dutch producer and designer Harrie Hoeben says attachment allows farmers to spray with finer droplets
A European sprayer is based on the idea that smaller is better. Dutch producer Harrie Hoeben said he thought up the Wingssprayer after the government focused on reducing spray drift by four percent. Producers started spraying larger droplets to meet the goal. “That’s why I started to think about ways to change the equipment so […] Read moreBigger farms eye custom combining
Comeback predicted | The industry has shrunk in recent decades, but new demand is developing
Custom harvesting may make a comeback as prairie farms become bigger and need more machinery to get off the crop. Lee Petersen, president of the Association of Canadian Custom Harvesters, said there are not as many custom harvesters in Western Canada as there were 20 years ago, but the demand is high. In particular, larger […] Read moreNew edition now available for herbicide handbook
The 10th edition of the Weed Science Society of America’s Herbicide Handbook is now available. It offers comprehensive information on more than 230 herbicides available in North America. “ ‘Nozzle heads’ will get a lot out of this handbook,” said University of Manitoba weed specialist Rob Golden, who uses the handbooks in his research […] Read more
