Reading Time: 2 minutes Plant density, weed escapes, early signs of disease, and pest populations should all be on your scouting checklist, says a provincial crop specialist. Evaluating the plant population for a given crop lets producers see if the number of plants (per square foot or square metre) matched the target goal that was established at the time […] Read more
Timely and effective field scouting covers many bases
Provincial crops specialist says scouting not only pays dividends this year, but allows you to fine-tune practices for future years
‘Wake-up call’ needed for resistance
Provincial crop expert says it’s time to stop pretending it’s not ‘a huge issue’
Reading Time: 3 minutes Weed resistance has been an issue in crop production for many years, but is coming to the forefront as increasing numbers of weeds are no longer responding to herbicides. “Most producers are aware of the issue, but unless it affects them directly, don’t see it as a huge issue,” said provincial crop specialist Harry Brook. […] Read more
The new edition of the Blue Book is out
Reading Time: < 1 minute This year’s edition of the Blue Book is now available. Crop Protection 2017 has been updated to include newly registered pesticides and usage instructions. This includes new herbicide registrations for pre-seed products and a number of new fungicides, including products for use on canola, cereal crops, and potatoes. Newly registered seed treatments are available for […] Read more
Herbicide resistance is everywhere you look
This year it’s Alberta’s turn to be surveyed by Ag Canada — but researchers already know the news won’t be good
Reading Time: 3 minutes If you’ve found herbicide-tolerant weeds in your field, you’re not in the minority. Weed resistance is increasing worldwide, so it’s really important that Prairie growers understand growing herbicide tolerance, says one of the country’s top resistance experts. “Group 2 really overshadows all the other groups in terms of weed resistance,” said Hugh Beckie, a research […] Read more
This is not good — triple-resistant kochia has entered Alberta
Glyphosate-resistant kochia was bad but there’s a new strain that’s much worse
Reading Time: 3 minutes Kochia, one of Western Canada’s most abundant and economically devastating weed species, has won another major battle in overcoming herbicide. This summer, the first known Group 4 herbicide-resistant kochia was identified in a durum wheat field in southwestern Saskatchewan. And samples currently being tested from a farm in southern Alberta are also suspected to be […] Read more
Controlling winter weeds now will pay off later
It’s cheaper to control winter weeds in the fall, and they won’t compete with your spring crop
Reading Time: 2 minutes You’ve been busting your butt during harvest and you’ve scouted your field many times during the growing season. But if you’re direct seeding, it’s worth scouting just one more time for winter weeds after you harvest. “It depends on what kind of production system a producer has,” said Mark Cutts, crop specialist with Alberta Agriculture’s […] Read more
Half of Alberta fields have herbicide-resistant wild oats
The short-term gain from growing profitable crops too frequently will bring long-term pain, say weed experts
Reading Time: 4 minutes For Craig Shaw, herbicide resistance is a wreck waiting to happen. “It’s manageable at the present moment, but I wouldn’t guarantee it will remain manageable moving forward,” said Shaw, who has widespread herbicide resistance on his farm near Lacombe. “We’ve learned our lesson in terms of staying on top of weed control and making sure […] Read more
Don’t give this weed the nod
Reading Time: < 1 minute Nodding thistle is found in pockets around the province, but mainly in southern Alberta. This noxious weed is a prolific seed producer — a single flower can produce up to 1,200 seeds and a single plant up to 100,000 seeds. It can be recognized by the solitary large red to purple flowers at the end […] Read more
Packed agenda for agronomy update
Reading Time: < 1 minute More than two dozen speakers will be offering their insights at Agronomy Update in Red Deer on Jan. 19-20. Topics include aphanomyces, clubroot, fungicide timing, P and K decline, straight combining canola, insect control, and managing herbicide resistance. The conference kicks off with presentations on field crops pathology followed by soil management, grain marketing, and crops […] Read more
Looking to improve spray coverage? Try pulse width modulation
Pulse width modulation maintains spray pressure and droplet size at different travel speeds
Reading Time: 2 minutes Nozzle guy’ Tom Wolf is often asked about ways to improve spray coverage. But as he says — borrowing a turn of phrase from Paul Simon — “there must be 50 ways to improve your coverage.” And one of them is through pulse width modulation — a relatively new technology that’s “on the move.” “I […] Read more
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