African swine fever (ASF) has now been reported in 24 countries since first found in several Chinese locations in 2018. “This is very alarming,” Christa Arsenault, national ASF coordinator with Animal Health Canada, told delegates at the Banff Pork Seminar last month. “ASF was considered to be a relatively stable disease up until that point […] Read more
Preparing for African swine fever
Canada is developing a plan and producers urged to tighten biosecurity
Powerful sensors on planes can detect crop nitrogen
Hyperspectral imagery offers cost-effective, quick assessment
Synthetic nitrogen fertilizers transformed agriculture during the Green Revolution, catapulting crop yields and food security to new heights. But despite improvements in crop nitrogen use efficiency, fears of underperformance still spur fertilizer overapplication. Excess nitrogen then ends up in waterways, including groundwater, and in the atmosphere in the form of potent greenhouse gases. Why it […] Read more
Managing herbicide-resistant weeds in corn
Planning and variety in rotations is a large factor, but cover crops and herbicide programs help too
Herbicide resistant weeds in all crops are a continuous concern, and for corn, these can be reduced with effective management practices. “The whole strategy [of weed control] is going to revolve around prevention, through rotation, tillage – or lack thereof – and soil applied, or pre-plant herbicides, followed with scouting for escapes,” says Craig Reid, […] Read more
‘Stacking’ of row-crop tillage shows promise
Three modes of action monitored in organic crop study
Using the same terminology employed by agrochemical manufacturers promoting the “stacking” of herbicide-resistant traits in seed, an organic-sector specialist from the University of Maine sees promise in multiple modes of mechanical weed control. Eric Gallandt spoke on integrated weed management at the Guelph Organic Conference. He is one of the co-originators, along with Iowa State […] Read more
Many factors involved in mastering precision wheat
Planting, application and equipment considerations affect process
Seed uniformity, spacing, depth, row width and other factors contribute to wheat canopy structure and yield. Dennis Pennington, wheat researcher and extension specialist with Michigan State University, says management practices and technologies designed to optimize planting offer growers significant opportunity. The main goal is to generate a canopy that maximizes light interception and radiation use […] Read more
Producers drive land value market, realtors say
Non-farm investors tend to purchase farm land when crop margins are thin and farmers can’t pay a premium
Glacier FarmMedia – Farmers cause farmland prices to rise but non-farmer investors stop land values from falling too much, say two real estate professionals based in the U.S. Midwest. “Farmers drive the market,” said Howard Halderman, president of Halderman Farm Management Service of Wabash, Indiana. “I tend to think it’s farmers paying the highest prices.” […] Read more
Bayer launches herbicide with two modes of action
Bayer CropScience’s new herbicide, Corvus, is now commercially available for growers in Eastern Canada for the 2022 season. Corvus provides season-long control of broadleaf and grass weeds, including glyphosate-resistant weeds in field and seed corn. It combines Group 2 and 27 modes of action, and can be applied pre-emerge, pre-plant incorporated, or early post emerge […] Read more
Wool advocates hope to boost domestic sales
Industry says synthetic materials pushed wool out of fibre markets, but consumer demand for sustainability is growing
Glacier FarmMedia – An opportunity exists to build a larger, higher quality wool production industry in Canada, according to The Campaign For Wool Canada (TCFW), and the organization has developed a five-year strategic plan to do that. “There are definitely challenges but there are huge opportunities in Canadian wool,” said Matthew Rowe, TCFW Canada chief […] Read more
Comment: Multiple factors at play for fertilizer price increase
High prices in Canada are in line with prices globally
Glacier FarmMedia – Pressures on commodity fertilizer prices are similar to those on grains and oilseeds. Supply isn’t meeting demand and costs are up. Some farm groups and many producers question the legitimacy of rising costs and they want answers. Prices in Canada for urea have more than tripled in the past two years and […] Read more
Investigation underway into non-louse-related itching in cattle
Lousy reports leave veterinary researchers itching to dig deeper
After an inordinately high number of lice reports in 2017 and 2018, Solvet dug deep into itchy cattle numbers. The company found it’s not as lousy a situation as first thought but potentially due to various mites, vitamin and mineral deficiencies, and environmental sensitivities or impacts. Despite a high number of reports, investigations showed most […] Read more
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