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
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
Crop pest and disease watch for 2015
Some of the usual suspects could be back this year, especially if you are pushing your rotations
Reading Time: 6 minutes The new growing season is underway, with a combination of old and new challenges and opportunities. Alberta Farmer reporter Alexis Kienlen asked some experts about things that producers should look out for this growing season. Here’s what they had to say: Plant diseases It’s difficult for plant pathologists to predict the possibility of diseases, said Kelly […] Read more
Trouble looming if there’s another cool, wet spring
Four to Watch: Increasing disease levels over the last few years could lead to big-time outbreaks if the environmental conditions are right
Reading Time: 3 minutes This much is known. “We’re not going to have a disease-free year — that’s for sure,” said Michael Harding, a research scientist with Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development. “The environment will determine how much we see and which pathogens have the ability to cause the most serious issues.” And just what kind of environment — […] Read more
Clubroot not just another disease
The response to clubroot has been uneven and often ineffective, but we need to learn from what’s worked to prevent a crisis situation
Reading Time: 3 minutes What surprised me most while researching the origins and spread of clubroot was just how devastating this disease is. Before travelling through the most affected areas and interviewing those at ground zero, I thought of clubroot as just another crop disease. It’s not. But unfortunately, many canola growers still don’t fully realize the threat they […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
