LETHBRIDGE – Cereal leaf beetle made its move from Michigan to Ontario in 1962 and has been spreading across Canada ever since. But it’s not alone – this pest came with a pest. Hector Carcamo of Agriculture Canada told a provincial Agronomy Update conference in Leth-bridge Jan. 20 that researchers have identified a parasite that […] Read more
Production
Enemy found for cereal leaf beetle
Coated canvas cover smothers smell
BRANDON – Livestock producers have a new tool in their efforts to manage manure. It’s an airtight, retractable poly-canvas that can enclose a manure pit nine metres wide by 210 metres long, or almost half an acre. Mike Curry, manager of Curry Industries, says an airtight seal is vital when dealing with manure composting, odour […] Read more
Contamination contained with Enviro-Pads
RED DEER, Alta. – The spread of clubroot by energy companies dragging contaminated soil from field to field can be eliminated with the use of an oilfield containment system, says its inventor. Eric Wassick said his Enviro-Pads Containment System allows oilfield equipment to be easily washed before it enters and leaves a farmer’s field. The […] Read more
AG FACT – Synthetic oil versus petroleum
The first synthetic oil was developed by Germany during the Second World War because its access to crude oil was curtailed. The country’s annual synthetic oil production reached millions of tons by 1944. Synthetic oil is designed to have a controlled molecular structure with predictable properties, using chemical compounds not originally present in petroleum-based crude […] Read more
Keeping nitrogen down on the farm
Liquid livestock manure slurry is becoming more plant available and less human objectionable. Thyregod A/S of Demark has developed a new approach to applying manure to cropland. The company has found it can reduce the volatility of manure by treating a small amount of the slurry with sulfuric acid and sealing it at the soil’s […] Read more
Ergot problem prevalent in 2008 cereals
Despite the cold and late start to 2008, the season wasn’t one of the worst for pest threats to cereal crops in Western Canada. Then ergot showed up. The situation may be similar this year, but it will depend on the weather. Ergot In 2008, where there was rain there was ergot. And where there […] Read more
Don’t scrimp on fertilizer: experts
Agrologists are advising producers it will still pay to fertilize canola with nitrogen fertilizer bought last July at $1,000 per tonne, as long the price stays higher than $8 per bushel. “Feeding your canola pays,” Jim Bessel of the Canola Council of Canada said Jan. 15 while speaking at the Saskatchewan Canola Development Commission and […] Read more
Soil may require boost of bacteria
Nitrogen fixing bacteria need to be added to every pulse crop. Fran Walley of the University of Saskatchewan told producers attending the Pulse Days seminars at Saskatoon’s Crop Production Week that recent research supports the idea of adding more rhizobia to the mix each time pulses are planted. Rhizobia that infect pulse crops’ roots help […] Read more
Oat rust trials more difficult in dry year
A good growing year for oat producers meant a bad year for cultivating disease in the new crown rust nursery at the University of Saskatchewan in 2008. “Environmental conditions were not conducive for developing it, but good for farmers,” said Curt McCartney, a plant pathologist with the Crop Development Centre. Speaking at a Saskatchewan Oat […] Read more
Guard your life up front
FARGO, N.D. – Deer are often seen as synonymous with the Prairie, as iconic as the landscape itself. Unfortunately, they also present a danger to people travelling on highways and rural roads. And as human populations continue to spread further into the countryside, the potential for collisions involving vehicles and deer increase. In addition to […] Read more
