Neil Harker of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

Brace yourself — winter annual weeds worse than usual this year

Dry conditions earlier this spring gave winter annuals an edge and for some growers, it’s too late to manage them

Reading Time: 2 minutes The dry conditions of early spring could lead to a spike in winter annual weeds. “Winter annuals could be a problem,” said Neil Harker, research scientist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. “We really haven’t had a lot of spring moisture, so the ones that were already established, like stinkweed and flixweed and winter annual cleavers, […] Read more

crop protection handbook

The 2015 edition of the Blue Book is out

The 2015 Crop Protection book has updated information on herbicides, insecticides, 
seed treatments and foliar fungicides

Reading Time: < 1 minute One of the most widely requested publications from Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development is the Blue Book. “An important part of the annual update is the addition of newly registered products,” said provincial crop specialist Mark Cutts. “For the 2015 Blue Book, a number of new pesticide entries have been added. New product additions were […] Read more


purple loosestrife

Alberta Invasive Species Council conference

Conference date of March 12 at the Lacombe Memorial Centre

Reading Time: < 1 minute The Alberta Invasive Species Council conference and AGM takes place March 12 at the Lacombe Memorial Centre. Topics include stopping aquatic invasives in Alberta, herbicide research for invasive weed control, working with industry to stop baby’s breath, and Russian olive invasiveness. The keynote address will look at what makes invasive species initiatives successful. The cost, […] Read more

Annual sow thistle has just been identified as glyphosate 
resistant in the U.S.

Farmers are the front line for slowing herbicide resistance

Weed scientist says producers need to extend rotations, not overuse glyphosate, and employ the most effective tank mixes

Reading Time: 2 minutes Herbicide resistance is like a forest fire — only you can prevent it. That was the message from weed scientist Linda Hall, who said producers need to step up to prevent a situation like that in the U.S. where glyphosate-resistant weeds are now epidemic in corn, soybeans and cotton crops. “It’s easy to say that […] Read more


Fall weed control window

Reading Time: < 1 minute If you have weeds that are green, not too much trash covering, and moisture in the soil, there’s still time for fall weed control. “It doesn’t work out every year that we have this opportunity, but this year it does,” said Harry Brook, provincial crop specialist. “There can’t have been a terrible killing frost, the […] Read more

A study underway in Lacombe suggests that winter cereals offer as much control for wild oats as herbicides do, says researcher Neil Harker.  Photo: Jennifer Blair

Winter cereals match herbicides in controlling wild oats

Producers might be ‘fairly shocked,’ but study finds winter 
cereals are as effective as herbicides in wild oats control


Reading Time: 2 minutes Winter cereals control wild oats just as well as herbicides do, suggests a study underway in Lacombe. “When we had two years of winter cereals — either running or with an early-cut silage in between — we had as good of wild oat control as when we went three years of alfalfa or canola-wheat-canola-wheat with […] Read more


Preliminary results of Michael Harding’s night-spraying research show that morning may be the best time to spray fungicides.

Spray fungicides before breakfast and herbicides at lunch

Morning may be best for spraying fungicide, but save your herbicide application for midday

Reading Time: 3 minutes Time of day counts when it comes to spraying for weeds and diseases, a study being conducted by Farming Smarter suggests. “If we have a better understanding of which herbicides work better under different conditions, we might be able to come up with a schedule that will maximize our efficacies,” said Ken Coles, the Lethbridge […] Read more