Reading Time: 3 minutes Syama Chatterton had a hunch that pea root rots would be less of a problem in a dry year. And sometimes, she said, “it’s nice to be right.” “Root rot severity was definitely lower in 2015 compared to what we had seen in 2013 and 2014, which were very wet years,” the federal research scientist […] Read more
Root rot pathogen lying in wait
Aphanomyces can persist for a decade in soil and are just waiting for another wet year
No ‘silver bullets’ for fusarium — but you can reduce your risk
Longer crop rotations, resistant varieties, and — as a last resort — fungicides are the partial weapons in a weak arsenal
Reading Time: 4 minutes When it comes to fusarium head blight, cereal growers tend to suffer from NIMBY syndrome — ‘not in my backyard.’ “Over the years, we’ve heard many comments that ‘it’s a Manitoba problem — it’ll never be a problem here in Alberta,’” federal research scientist Kelly Turkington said at the recent Agronomy Update conference. “But in […] Read more
Taking cattle tag reading to the next level
Forget reading one tag at a time, this technology can track every member of a herd going down an alley at once
Reading Time: 3 minutes Cattle producers could save themselves a fair bit of time and money — if they’re willing to make the shift from standard low-frequency RFID tags to a new ultra-high-frequency alternative. “The typical button tag has been around for a long time and works very well, but it’s in a low-frequency spectrum and the read range […] Read more
Oil bust could mean skyrocketing property taxes
Some Alberta municipalities are being hit hard as oil companies stop paying
Reading Time: 2 minutes With oil prices bottoming out around $30 a barrel, oil companies are scrambling to save money — sometimes at the expense of farmers. “Some companies are just deciding not to pay the annual rentals,” said Daryl Bennett, who represents the Action Surface Rights Association in southern Alberta. Last year, the Surface Rights Board had more […] Read more
Missing in action: Study finds ear tag retention a major problem
Calves have almost 100 per cent ear tag retention, but one in nine mature cows loses their tag — and it can be as high as one-third
Reading Time: 2 minutes Cow-calf producers were right all along — ear tag retention in mature cows sucks. “There is a lot of back and forth within the industry as to the effectiveness of these tags, and a lot of the cow-calf producers were identifying concerns about the longevity of the tags,” said Ross MacDonald, project manager for the […] Read more
Ag minister vows to listen to farm groups
Groups create ‘historic collaboration’ to fight for sensible workplace rules
Reading Time: 3 minutes After ramming through new farm safety legislation at year’s end, the provincial government seems to have changed its tune. “I want to be clear right now — we will be taking the time necessary to make sure we get this right,” Agriculture and Forestry Minister Oneil Carlier said at the Alberta Federation of Agriculture annual […] Read more
Workplace safety officers have ‘serious powers’
They include the right to compel statements, inspect what they want, and take samples without a warrant
Reading Time: 3 minutes Alberta farmers are right to be worried about how the industry’s new health and safety legislation will be enforced. “Officers have some broad, sweeping powers,” said David Myrol, a lawyer at McLennan Ross LLP who specializes in occupational health and safety (OHS) law. “When the OHS officer comes knocking at the door, the playing field […] Read more
Pulse lone bright spot in crop forecast
Break-even yields are a little lower for spring wheat and canola this year, and there’s real money to be made growing peas and lentils
Reading Time: 2 minutes There’s good news and there’s bad news in this year’s crop profitability forecasts. The good news? Break-even yields for both spring wheat and canola are just slightly lower this year, according to provincial forecasts. And even if you just pull off average yields for peas, you’ll really have something to smile about. “Since the projections […] Read more
Grazing winter cereals can work
First-year results of study on grazing winter cereals found both grain and silage yields were affected
Reading Time: 2 minutes Mixed farmers looking to cut costs may be able to hit two birds with one stone — by grazing the fall growth of a winter cereal. “This is a practice that’s quite common in other parts of the world, but it’s one that we haven’t really delved into, likely because we’re a little bit light […] Read more
Farmers, hit that snooze button — spraying later is your best bet
For pre-seed burn-down and broadleaf weed control, it’s better to spray during the day rather than early morning or nighttime
Reading Time: 2 minutes A plant in the morning dew is a little like a man stepping out of a shower — wet and cold, and that much colder because it’s wet. “The phase change between a liquid and a gas sucks heat energy out of the plant. That practice will actually hurt the plant,” said Ken Coles, general […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
