Crop Management
Stripe rust could wipe out thousands of acres of winter wheat across southern Alberta and Saskatchewan if farmers fail to monitor their fields closely, said a plant pathologist. Denis Gaudet, an Agriculture Canada research pathologist, said the fast-moving disease has reached epidemic proportions in southern Alberta on winter wheat fields and could move to susceptible […] Read more
Crop Management
Stripe rust batters Alberta winter wheat
Harvesting volunteer canola not recommended
Thousands of prairie fields are a mess this year. They haven’t been seeded and are too wet to be sprayed or worked. But some farmers might be looking at yellow fields of volunteer canola and wondering if there’s a golden lining to this production cloud: why not let the volunteer crop grow and then harvest […] Read more
Unseeded area estimates grow
Farm groups in Saskatchewan and Manitoba think there will be more unseeded acres than the Canadian Wheat Board is forecasting. The board released an estimate June 14 of 6.5 million unplanted acres in the two provinces, down from 10 million acres last year. It said the number could be as low as six million or […] Read more
Little seeding expected after insurance deadline
As last week’s crop insurance deadlines passed, many farmers tied up their last frantic seeding efforts. And while some have and might attempt post-deadline seeding, most have put their fields into next year country. “I think it’s (a situation of ) clean it up and get it ready for next year and get on with […] Read more
Mexico weed policy shuts out canaryseed
The bird cage door has once again slammed shut on canaryseed sales to Mexico. Canadian and Mexican plant protection officials have failed to extend an interim agreement regarding quarantine weeds that expired June 21. “For nearly a year government officials have been negotiating a solution, and the expiry of the agreement is a failure to […] Read more
Gov’t may miss biodiesel mandate’s start date: canola growers
Canadian canola growers get the sense the federal biodiesel mandate will be delayed. The proposed two percent mandate is scheduled to be implemented on July 1, after publication deadlines for this issue. Rick White, general manager of the Canadian Canola Growers Association, said there could be some “slippage” on the start date. A spokesperson for […] Read more
Water quality key to chemical effectiveness
Most farmers know that water with a pH level higher than seven can affect the performance of insecticides, said Jason Deveau, an application technology specialist with the Ontario agriculture ministry. However, he said only a few producers know how to treat alkaline water so that it’s suitable to mix with pesticides. “If it’s outside of […] Read more
Well users have false sense of water safety: survey
How well is your water well? An Alberta study on rural water wells found that most people don’t know. Responses from 1,014 surveys returned in 2010 showed only 10 percent of Alberta water well users test their water well quality at least annually and only 30 percent regularly shock chlorinate it, which involves flushing large […] Read more
Weed of the Week: Foxtail Barley
Foxtail barley has benefited from increased use of reduced tillage. It is a prolific seed producer and has become a growing problem across Western Canada. Hordeum jubatum is also known as wild barley or other names that compare the weed’s bushy awns to the tails of a number of mammals. Foxtail barley is often confused […] Read more
Maltless brewing may see maltsters crying in beer
Canada’s barley, malting and brewing industries are keeping tabs on a new brewing process that could reduce demand for high quality malt as an essential brewing ingredient. Enzyme-assisted brewing uses commercial enzymes to promote fermentation in malted or unmalted barley, meaning brewers can reduce their reliance on finished malt or, in some cases, eliminate it […] Read more
