‘Significantly more’ reports of fusarium head blight seen in Sask. cereal crops this season; Man. also has problem areas
Glacier FarmMedia – Fusarium head blight, a persistent threat to cereal crops across the Prairies, is making a stronger-than-usual appearance this season, but the severity and location varies. Compared to previous years, said Alireza Akhavan, a provincial plant disease specialist in Saskatchewan, she has received “significantly more” reports of fusarium head blight in cereal crops […] Read moreTag Archives Anne Kirk

Outlook for fall seeding looks positive this year
Soil moisture conditions vary across the Prairies, but crop specialists say winter cereals may be set for a good start
Glacier FarmMedia – Experts expect a lot of winter cereals to be planted this fall despite a wide range of weather conditions across the Prairies. Manitoba, generally the wettest of the three Prairie provinces, lived up to its reputation this year. Above-average precipitation blanketed the province in the first half of summer. At the end […] Read more
Late-season lodging can flatten cereal crops
Flattened wheat, oat and barley fields across the Prairies promise to create a harvest headache for producers this year
Glacier FarmMedia – Crops don’t easily bounce back from lodging when it happens near the end of the season, says Anne Kirk, a cereals specialist with Manitoba Agriculture. Producers can expect the worst hit to yields if crops have been flat in the weeks following head emergence. Carbohydrate flow to the head can be disrupted, […] Read more
Ergot risk threatens Man., less severe elsewhere
The fungal disease has been helped by the wet start to the growing season on the eastern side of the Prairies
Glacier FarmMedia – In the midst of the growing season, some Manitoba crops are now showing signs of ergot, which can reduce yield and pose a problem for marketing grain, but there are ways that producers can fight back against the fungal disease. Reports of ergot have been coming into Manitoba Agriculture, according to Anne […] Read more
Crops ‘look good’ but slow

Seeding research may not apply to all regions
Recent Sask. study suggests benefits from lower wheat seeding rates for low moisture, but that might not transfer to Man.
Recent research from Saskatchewan suggests farmers might want to hold back on their wheat seeding rate if they’re expecting a dry year, but it’s not clear how well the insight translates to Manitoba. The Western Applied Research Corporation study found that with a dry season on the horizon, a mid-to-low wheat seeding rate achieved the […] Read more