Reading Time: < 1 minute If you missed this year’s Agronomy Update (or can’t read your notes), PowerPoint slides from the January event are now available at agronomyupdate.ca. Slides from two dozen presentations can be downloaded for free. Among the topics are nitrification and urease inhibitors, micronutrients, fusarium graminearum, bacterial leaf streak, aphanomyces, verticillium wilt, herbicide mixing, flea beetles, managing […] Read more
Agronomy update recap available
Tips on battling wheat stem sawfly
Reading Time: < 1 minute A new video from Alberta Wheat offers advice on managing wheat stem sawfly from Scott Meers, the long-time provincial insect management specialist and now a consultant. It covers topics such as when to plant a solid- and semi-solid-stem variety (and lists current offerings for spring wheat and durum), recommended seeding rates (for both solid- and […] Read more
Survey on keeping wheat midge at bay
Reading Time: < 1 minute Wheat growers are being asked to fill out an online survey on their use of midge-tolerant wheat. The Canadian Wheat Research Coalition (an alliance of the three Prairie wheat commissions) operates the Midge Tolerant Wheat Stewardship Program. It’s estimated that midge-tolerant wheat has saved farmers more than $3 billion in yield losses and grade dockage […] Read more
The autumn weather was lovely — especially for grasshoppers
Those areas that had the pests last year will likely see more this year, but there are ways to reduce their numbers
Reading Time: 4 minutes Compare Alberta grasshopper survey maps from the past two years and one thing becomes clear: If you had grasshoppers last year, there’s a good chance you will this year, too — and likely in higher numbers. “When you look at the map from 2021 and compare it to the survey that was done last year, […] Read more
Pest survey results and maps now available
There’s extensive information available on high-risk insect pest species in Alberta
Reading Time: 2 minutes Alberta’s agriculture ministry has begun posting 2022 insect population maps and 2023 forecast information. The counts are based on extensive sampling by agricultural fieldmen and applied research groups across the province last year, and the reports from Alberta Agriculture highlight survey findings by region. They also provide info on identification, life cycle, damage and pest […] Read more
How do you manage resistant pests?
Reading Time: < 1 minute Farmers are being asked to share their strategies on how to manage weed, insect and disease resistance. The contest offers prizes (iPads and Tim Hortons gift cards) for winning entries. “The Pest Management Challenge is an opportunity to get people talking and to encourage the adoption of resistance management best practices,” said Jennifer Hubert, an […] Read more
French insect-based ingredients maker Ynsect to expand in North America
U.S. plant would use Ardent Mills' flour milling byproducts
Paris | Reuters — French company Ynsect said on Tuesday it had signed deals to build insect ingredient production sites in the United States and in Mexico as the firm kicks off what it says will be the world’s largest insect farm. Ynsect breeds mealworms that produce proteins for aquaculture, livestock, pet food, fertilizers and […] Read more
All in all, it wasn’t a bad crop year – and that’s welcome news
Keep an eye out for flea beetles, grasshoppers and bacterial leaf streak in the coming year
Reading Time: 4 minutes A lot of flea beetles, few diseases and pretty good yields are highlights of this growing season for three crop specialists. “In general, we’re at or above average for the five-year (yield) average and some of the 10-year averages,” said Jeremy Boychyn, agronomy research extension manager with Alberta Wheat and Alberta Barley. “All of Alberta […] Read more
Group brings many viewpoints together in pest battle
Prairie Biovigilance Network promises proactive approach to managing weeds, insects and disease
Reading Time: 3 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – A new initiative aims to boost surveillance of — and the response to — pests affecting Prairie agriculture. The Prairie Biovigilance Network comprises a group of experts in plant pathology, entomology, weed science, economics and agronomy led by AgCanada research scientist Brent McCallum. Researchers examine the pests that are causing the problem […] Read more
Tiny pea leaf weevil spreads across vast prairie landscape
The adults leave tell-tale signs but it’s their offspring that wreak havoc below ground
Reading Time: 4 minutes Pea leaf weevils have completed their eastward trek across the Prairies, and while they’re generally not a huge issue, pea and faba growers need to learn the habits of these hard-to-spot pests. Adult pea leaf weevils are tiny and were first found in Canada near Lethbridge in 2000. By 2019, they had crossed the Manitoba […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
