Reading Time: 3 minutes If you’re seeing weird things in your canola — like buds turning into stems or leaves — don’t be alarmed. But what’s causing this “mystery syndrome” has Alberta experts scratching their heads. “You’ve got something that should be forming a pod, and it turns into a weirdly shaped leaf or a piece of stem or […] Read more
It’s a bit creepy, but ‘mystery syndrome’ is no cause for alarm
Buds on canola plants are doing things they shouldn’t — like turning into leaves or stems
Check your numbers. Is it worth spending money on a foliar fertilizer?
Producers probably won’t see a good return on foliar fertilizers and hype around micronutrients is mostly ‘marketing’
Reading Time: 2 minutes In a dry year like this one, investing in foliar fertilizer probably won’t pay off. “Conditions at the time of spraying are the trump card,” said agronomist Jack Payne at canolaPALOOZA in late June. “Herbicides are also absorbed through the foliage, but if the plant’s not actively growing — if it’s shutting down because of […] Read more
Ag groups launch bee initiative
Bees Matter is offering free seeds for pollinator-friendly gardens — and information on bees
Reading Time: < 1 minute A new program called Buzzing Gardens is offering Canadians free seeds to plant pollinator-friendly gardens. The program is an initiative of Bees Matter, a group consisting of chemical and agricultural groups including CropLife Canada, Bayer CropScience, Syngenta, the Canola Council of Canada, the Canadian Seed Trade Association, and the Canadian Honey Council. “The agricultural community […] Read more
Take a break and grab some agricultural learning
Summer’s always busy but getting away from the farm for a day can really pay off
Reading Time: 3 minutes It’s back-to-school season for farmers with a spate of field schools and workshops coming up following the end of seeding. Here are three reasons to spend a day away from the farm and at school: No. 1: It pays Field days are not just about listening to the experts, they’re also events where farmers are […] Read more
New working group gears up to get answers about habitat conservation
Maintaining habitat is also important for pollinators and parasitoids that prey on crop pests
Reading Time: 3 minutes When you cut down your shelterbelt or take out a windrow, you might not think about the effect it has on the beneficial species living on your farmland. A new working group, unofficially known as the Habitat Working Group, is gearing up to inform producers about the changes they can make to conserve habitat for […] Read more
Watch for herbicide-resistant weeds
There are 21 resistant weeds on the Prairies and 38 million acres have at least one of them
Reading Time: < 1 minute The first few weeks of the growing season is a great time to police fields for suspicious weeds. Look for weeds that survived pre-seed burn-off or post-emergent sprays while others of the same species have died. These few weeds could be resistant, and it would be good to nab them early. “It takes 14 to […] Read more
Canola growers get grim warning on clubroot threat
No varieties have strong resistance to new pathotypes, longer rotations are ‘the best management option left’
Reading Time: 2 minutes The Alberta Canola Producers Commission is urging producers to step up their efforts to contain clubroot in the province. “Since new data indicates some forms of clubroot resistance are no longer functioning well against new clubroot pathotypes in some of the heavily infested fields, we encourage you to consider a comprehensive management plan that includes all […] Read more
Canola council offers tips for better establishment
New video offers tips for seeding rate and depth, and other factors which produce an optimum stand
Reading Time: 2 minutes The Canola Council of Canada has a new video that describes key stand establishment steps using animated video and a question-and-answer format with growers. The video describes how uniform stands of seven to 10 plants per square foot act as insurance, preserving yield potential in the face of early-season threats from frost, insects and seedling […] Read more
Crop sector starts its sustainability roundtable
As with beef, producers will be asked to document their practices, but carrying the system past the grain elevator may be tricky
Reading Time: 3 minutes The push for sustainability continues — and this time, it’s hit the Canadian crop sector. “End-users are looking to have a certified or verified supply chain that goes to the farm level,” said Kara Barnes, market development co-ordinator with the Alberta Barley Commission and a best practices specialist with the Barley Council of Canada. “Just […] Read more
The straight goods on canola variety performance
Interactive database allows searches ranging from yield and maturity to lodging and height
Reading Time: 2 minutes Results are in for the 2014 Canola Performance Trials (CPT). Data from the science-based, third-party variety evaluations have been uploaded to the online comparison tool on the CPT website. A summary booklet is also available for download. The online tool includes interactive maps and the ability to refine searches by season zone, herbicide tolerance type, […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
