Premature bleaching of infected spikelet in wheat.

Now is the time to create next year’s battle plan for fusarium

Scouting this year is the first step in limiting the impact of the cereal disease next year

Reading Time: 2 minutes Although it’s likely too late to apply a fungicide for fusarium graminearum, producers can still use the information they gather about the outbreak to plan for subsequent growing seasons. Fusarium graminearum is considered the most important fusarium head blight (FHB) species due to its aggressiveness and production of deoxynivalenol or DON (a.k.a. vomitoxin), said crop […] Read more

(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Prairie feed wheat, barley at seasonal highs

CNS Canada –– Feed barley and feed wheat appear to be settling into some seasonal highs, according to a market-watcher in Alberta. “Whether it goes up much more remains to be seen,” said Jim Beusekom of Market Place Commodities in Lethbridge. “Between Easter and May long weekend, we’re probably at a high.” High vomitoxin (10 […] Read more


Fusarium graminearum produces DON or vomitoxin, which makes wheat unfit for milling and sees barley rejected for malt or even for feed.

Fusarium head blight infections hit record high in 2016

Almost one-quarter of cereal samples from 2016 have tested positive for fusarium head blight — a 10 per cent jump from 2014’s previous record high

Reading Time: 5 minutes Fusarium head blight continued its devastating march across Alberta last summer, and shows no sign of slowing down. “It’s become something that’s well established in the southern part of the province, and the situation is starting to change elsewhere in the province, especially central and northern Alberta,” said Kelly Turkington, a research scientist with Agriculture […] Read more



(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Low-quality feed being dumped on market

CNS Canada — Prices for feed barley and wheat don’t appear ready to spike anytime soon, as farmers across Western Canada continue to dump supplies containing high concentrations of vomitoxin and fusarium into feedlots. “Steady as it goes here is the tone,” said Allan Pirness of Market Place Commodities in Lethbridge. “We’re looking to clean […] Read more

Toxins could be present in ensiled corn

Toxins could be present in ensiled corn

Reading Time: < 1 minute Watch for the presence of mycotoxins when feeding ensiled corn. When the toxins T-2, HT-2 and DON (vomitoxin) are present, cattle will reduce the amount of feed they eat, said provincial veterinary toxicologist Joe Kendall. “However, if you ensile the standing crop with the mycotoxins present, you are mixing good and contaminated feed together so […] Read more





Durum wheat. (Gipsa.usda.gov)

Quality Canadian durum may be in short supply

CNS Canada — Quality issues with the Canadian durum crop currently being harvested should see the price spreads between top- and low-end grain widen considerably, especially as the carryout from the previous year is also poor quality. Canadian durum stocks, as of July 31, were pegged at 1.1 million tonnes by Statistics Canada in a […] Read more

Vigilance is the key to keeping fusarium at low levels in Alberta, says a provincial crop specialist.

Don’t let down your guard when it comes to fusarium

Provincial crop specialist says seed testing and using seed treatment are critical

Reading Time: 2 minutes Fusarium head blight outbreaks can cause significant losses in grain yield and grain quality, while also resulting in the production of mycotoxin-Deoxynyvalenol that affects livestock feed, the baking and milling quality of wheat and the malting and brewing qualities of malt barley. That’s why producers need to be vigilant, even if its rate of infection […] Read more