Stripe rust is easy to identify and is not hard to distinguish from leaf rust and stem rust.

Stripe rust confirmed in Alberta fields

Farmers are encouraged to scout their fields for stripe rust disease so that they know if fungicide applications are warranted

Reading Time: 3 minutes Confirmed sightings of stripe rust in Alberta have prompted experts to encourage growers in southern Alberta, along with those in the Drumheller and Calgary regions, to scout their fields for the disease.





Brazilian tour proves fruitful for Alberta farmers

Brazilian tour proves fruitful for Alberta farmers

Farming Smarter tour shed light on farming practices in South American agriculture powerhouse

Reading Time: 6 minutes Farming Smarter gives 20 Alberta farmers the opportunity to tour Brazil’s agricultural centres for a look at how the South American agriculture powerhouse has grown into a top nation in world production.

Farming Smarter attendees inspect the plot used to demonstrate roller crimping, a weed control technique.

Soil health main topic of Farming Smarter field school

Novel crops like prairie rice sparked discussion among attendees

Reading Time: 3 minutes Soil health was the main focus of this year’s Farming Smarter field school but novel new crops like rice also got some of the spotlight. Despite a cool and wet day in late June, a full house of farmers made their way through the damp fields. While a lot can be learned in a classroom […] Read more


lewis baarda

They don’t wear lab coats but more farmers doing on-farm research

Getting scientifically valid data takes time and work -- and often at the busiest times of the year

Reading Time: 4 minutes With all the decisions that must be made in a growing season, on-farm research trials are a way for farmers to increase the odds of making the right call on major changes. “When you do something yourself on your own farm, you can be pretty certain it will work in your conditions,” said Lewis Baarda, […] Read more

gurbir dhillon

It’s still ‘wait and see’ country when it comes to biostimulants

A multi-year study has found some products work sometimes on some crops -- but it’s hit-and-miss

Reading Time: 3 minutes Biostimulants work. Sort of. Sometimes. Depending. Dubbed the ‘vitamin supplements of farming,’ there are a wide range of biostimulants and they work — or don’t — in a host of different ways. Sometimes they’re worth applying and sometimes not, suggests a three-year study by Farming Smarter. “We did see an increase in yield for some […] Read more