Orange wheat blossom midge — or simply, the wheat midge — devastated spring wheat yields in the ’90s. Since then, wheat breeders have been working hard to build protection into wheat varieties. To help with tips to scout for the pest, why spraying is a limited option, how Field Heroes help, and what’s new in... Read More

For years, even decades, one crop’s boost in productivity because of following a different crop was put down as the “rotation effect.” As we begin to unravel what the rotation effect actually is, it’s clear that rooting depth and type, root exudates, and microbial population shifts all play a role in contributing to the bigger... Read More

Biological products, such as inoculants for pulses and soybeans, have been around a very long time, but the ever-expanding world of biological products now means that growers have options for hundreds of products that are supposed to do everything from stimulating root growth, to helping plants recover from hail, to fixing nitrogen. To help evaluate... Read More

Cover crops are not magic. It’s important to first understand the goal of using a cover crop and then measuring up each species and season to see if it’s a match. Farmers from east to west are using cover crops to accomplish several things: reducing erosion, cycling nutrients, fixing nitrogen, and fighting weeds, but that... Read More

Canola is an elastic, amazingly resilient plant, but it starts as a very tiny seed and emerges under threat of certain death by very hungry flea beetles. Setting up this crop for great yield is the typical combination of establishment, nutrition, and crop protection, but in this episode of The Agronomists, we dig in to... Read More

What drives maximum corn yield? We kick off a new season of The Agronomists talking about the king of them all — corn. To tackle the topics of hybrid selection, the planting pass, disease considerations, and fertility, host Lyndsey Smith is joined by Paul Sullivan of Sullivan Agro, Mark Foster of Jockbrae Farms, and Nicole... Read More

It’s time to wrap up this season of The Agronomists, tackling the top agronomy lessons of the year. From extreme dryness in parts of Alberta and Saskatchewan, to a mixed season in Manitoba, and a dry-to-very-wet season in Ontario, we’ve got three agronomists to unpack the worst and the wins of 2023. For this episode... Read More

Dealing with herbicide resistant weeds or trying to control weeds without access to certain herbicides really equates to the same thing — finding alternative means to control weeds. For attendees at Agritechnica, that meant a focus on iron, from inter-row and around the plant cultivation, to precision tillage, but also into the spot-spray realm. To... Read More

The topic of tile drainage can get a little controversial — moving water has always been. When digging in to the ins and outs of tile drainage, however, it’s clear that at least some of the sticking points are based on myths. To get the real talk on tile, host Lyndsey Smith is joined by... Read More

Once nitrogen fertilizer lands on or in soil it may be at risk of loss — through leaching, volatilization, or denitrification. Management choices can minimize losses, through split-application, deep banding, or choice of product, but adding an enhanced efficiency fertilizer product can guard against loss, too. How the products work, when to use which, and... Read More