Crop Management
BROOKS, Alta. — Consider the Smartie. A piece of soil the same size as the candy could harbour up to a billion clubroot spores. Next, consider how much dirt comes off a piece of farm equipment, and the potential to spread the costly disease increases exponential. Cleaning equipment should be standard practice, but it has […] Read more
Crop Management
Wash up when you’re done work
USDA report pressures oilseeds, wheat lower, but supports corn
By D’Arce McMillan The USDA report today was a little bearish for soybeans and wheat but slightly bullish for corn. Soybeans, canola and wheat futures finished the day a little lower while corn and oats closed up. Oilseeds were also pressured by overnight rain in parts of the Midwest that supported the prospect of a […] Read more
USDA projects record U.S. corn, soybean production
WASHINGTON, Aug 12 (Reuters) – U.S. corn production will crack the 14-billion-bushel mark for the first time in 2014, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said on Tuesday, but the crop was slightly below trade expectations, potentially giving a bullish kick to the beaten-down corn futures market. At 14.03 billion bushels, the estimated crop fell short […] Read more
Winter wheat crops hit by fusarium
There is a serious issue with one of the first crops being harvested this summer. “Fusarium infection is very bad in winter wheat,” said Doug Chorney, president of Manitoba’s Keystone Agricultural Producers. “In most fields people can find white heads everywhere, even though we all sprayed fungicides. It doesn’t matter because it was so wet […] Read more
When drilling a well, location is everything
Seismo-electric technology New method for locating groundwater cites 75 to 90 percent success rate
Farmers are drilling deeper with each passing generation as they look for reliable quantities of good water to support livestock operations. “It is simply due to the thinking that we can obtain more reliable water and bigger (water) yields by getting away from shallows wells that may be susceptible to surface contamination,” says groundwater specialist […] Read more
Continuous corn cropping works for Indiana farmer
Big yields with hybrid varieties | Farmer says the yields he generates from growing corn year after year are better than a corn-soybean rotation
BROWNSBURG, Ind. — Most U.S. Midwest farmers follow a corn-soybean rotation, but Hession Farms’ 5,000 acres are always in corn. “We feel we are better at producing corn. Year in year out, we consistently hit top yields with corn,” said Anthony Hession, whose family emigrated from Ireland in 1837. “Our corn yields can compete with […] Read more
Tillage remains part of toolbox
Another tool for farmers | Tillage combats compaction, residue issues
TABER, Alta. — Years of minimum and zero tillage on prairie soil have had their benefits, but they might also have led to soil compaction best addressed by tillage. Curt Davis, marketing manager for the implement company Kuhn Krause of Kansas, brought that message to Taber area growers July 22. His job is to sell […] Read more
Drones put to work hunting weeds
Alberta Agriculture experiment | Researchers explore new ways to use images taken from unmanned aerial vehicles
CYPRESS COUNTY, Alta. — Weeds cannot duck and cover when a drone flies overhead. Researcher Chris Neeser is counting on that. The Alberta Agriculture weed pest specialist is experimenting with using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), also called drones, or radio controlled aircraft, to identify weed problems in crops. Neeser is working with Jan Zalud of […] Read more
Details on mustard lines needed for PBR application
The Canadian mustard industry is getting ready for a big change. Officials are carefully monitoring plots at trial sites in Saskatchewan and recording details about unreleased condiment mustard varieties for their plant breeders’ rights application. “We have to show at least a couple differences between each line to get plant breeders’ rights for that particular […] Read more
Midge, fusarium control all about timing
SCOTT, Sask. — Farmers who are still spraying fungicides on wheat to control fusarium head blight should be paying close attention to crop staging to ensure the best results. Lyndon Hicks, a regional crop specialist with Saskatchewan Agriculture, says early flowering is the perfect time for fusarium control in wheat. “Flowering will begin in the […] Read more
