MarketsFarm — Delays to spring seeding in some regions of Saskatchewan, such as the northeast, have opened the door for infestations of flea beetles, according to provincial pest management specialist James Tansey. Canola crops that were planted later than normal are suffering from flea beetles, he said. Extremely late-seeded canola has been relatively free from […] Read more
Flea beetles an issue in parts of Saskatchewan
Cargill plans to close U.K. rapeseed crush plant
Fewer U.K. farmers growing crop
London | Reuters — Cargill plans to close its rapeseed crush facility in Hull, eastern England, the global commodities trader said Tuesday. The mill, which Cargill has been operating since 1985, has the capacity to crush 750 tonnes of seed a day to produce 420 tonnes of rapeseed meal and 323 tonnes of crude rapeseed […] Read more
Thistle control program on hold
Reading Time: < 1 minute The West-Central Forage Association won’t be bringing in Canada thistle stem-gall flies this year. The flies lay their eggs on the tips of thistle shoots in the early summer, with the larvae burrowing into the shoots and triggering gall formation, which stresses the plant by stealing nutrients. The association said it is discontinuing the program […] Read more
Eastern Prairies’ wet conditions may curb insect pest risk
Late-seeded crops may germinate more quickly in warmer soils
MarketsFarm — If there could be one benefit to the excessive moisture across much of southern Manitoba and the Interlake region, that would be a potentially reduced risk for insect pests, according to John Gavloski, entomologist for Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Resource Development. For example, Gavloski cited flea beetles, which could damage canola. “If [canola] […] Read more
Canola sector will need a big push to reach production target
But crushers seem confident that canola sector can greatly increase yields and hit its ‘26 by 2025’ goal
Reading Time: 3 minutes The Canola Council of Canada’s plan to push production to 26 million tonnes annually by 2025 is still on — but the goal is looking ever-more daunting. The joint farm-industry organization released an updated “innovation strategy” last month to support it’s ‘Keep It Coming — 26 by 2025’ initiative. The strategy report has a long […] Read more
This hidden crop menace is stealthy, destructive and a devil to get rid of
There’s a wide variety of wireworms, their impact varies greatly, and there’s no effective control
Reading Time: 4 minutes Joe Ripley knew something was up in his wheat field — but he had no idea what. “We just had patches where it was very poor quality and there was hardly anything there,” said the grain and cattle producer from the Spring Coulee area in southern Alberta. “We didn’t realize what it was for a […] Read more
Seedpod weevil numbers down in 2021
Reading Time: < 1 minute Cabbage seedpod weevil numbers in 2021 were lower than normal for the fourth year in a row, but canola growers in southern and south-central Alberta should still be on guard. A survey of 225 fields last summer (when canola was at 20 to 25 per cent flower) found that even in the south, numbers were […] Read more
Grasshopper numbers up last year, but outbreak may not occur
Hopper numbers tend to go in a two-year cycle and so this may be a ‘low’ year, says forecast
Reading Time: 2 minutes Not surprisingly, grasshoppers loved last year’s dry conditions, especially in the south, says a provincial outlook for the pest. “In southern Alberta, dry summers are resulting in increasing grasshopper numbers,” says an article from the provincial Ag Ministry detailing last year’s grasshopper survey and this year’s outlook. “This is especially true in the counties south […] Read more
Watch out for grasshoppers and wheat stem sawfly this year
Some pests do just fine when it’s hot and dry while others suffer, and all try to adapt
Reading Time: 3 minutes Last summer’s drought and brutal heat was a game changer for insect pests across the Prairies. Some got knocked back, others managed just fine and many acted in new ways as they tried to adapt. “Every pest species we deal with could be responding to these hot and dry conditions differently,” said Meghan Vankosky, a […] Read more
Bin pest survey on deck for southern Alberta
Reading Time: < 1 minute Producers in southern Alberta are being asked to take part in a grain bin pest survey next fall. The survey is being conducted by a team led by Vincent Hervet, a stored grain specialist with AgCanada in Winnipeg. Team members would visit a farm twice in September/October, first to set traps and then to remove […] Read more
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