WINNIPEG — The wet spring on the Prairies provided nearly “perfect” conditions for blackleg to develop in canola crops. That’s why 2024 will likely become the worst year on record for the disease in Saskatchewan. “Ninety-two percent of crops we surveyed in Saskatchewan in 2024 had at least trace levels of blackleg,” said Alireza Akhavan, […] Read more
Tag Archives Saskatchewan Agriculture
Researchers make a case for protecting field boundaries
Federal scientists hope to weigh both the agricultural value and the risks from habitat such as ditches and shelterbelts
Glacier FarmMedia – It’s a common scenario. A farmer has a field boundary that causes some headaches. Maybe it’s a ditch they figure is nursing crop disease, or maybe the ditch is a pain to navigate around. In response, the farmer drains the ditch or otherwise takes it out of commission. Researchers who recently completed […] Read more
Diversity called key to strong cover crops
Diverse mixes beneficial for forage production and soil health, but it depends on what producers want to do on their farms
Glacier FarmMedia – MELFORT, Sask. — For some, cover crops come from anything available to keep things green through the shoulder season. For others, they’re a carefully curated recipe to make specific improvements in a field. The blend demonstrated in late July at the Melfort Crop Diagnostic School was closer to the second option. It […] Read more
Crops ‘look good’ but slow
SASKATOON — Statistics Canada’s latest satellite-based map of vegetative growth in the Canadian Prairies is missing the colour green. The Crop Condition Assessment Program (CCAP) map for the week ending June 16 was all yellow and brown. Related stories: That means crop conditions across the Prairies at this early stage of the growing season are […] Read more
Ground squirrel survey monitors damage
Glacier FarmMedia – Richardson’s ground squirrel damage has frustrated Saskatchewan farmers for years. Saskatchewan’s Ministry of Agriculture recently conducted a survey of farmers to better understand where Richardson’s ground squirrels are present, the methods producers use to deal with them, and which approaches are most effective. The online survey was conducted this past December and […] Read more
Canola, cereal crops slow waterhemp’s spread west
CLANDEBOYE, Man. — Soybeans and waterhemp go together in Manitoba like peanut butter and jelly. Find a field of soybeans and you may find waterhemp. “That’s almost always where we find it,” said Kim Brown, provincial weed specialist with Manitoba Agriculture. Tall waterhemp is a Tier 1 noxious weed in the province, which means it […] Read more
