There has been considerable discussion around tar spot disease in corn this season and of course many questions as well. Let’s go over some of these questions! Where did Tar Spot common from? In 2015, Tar Spot was confirmed in the Midwest US (Indiana/Illinois) where it was believed to have been blown in from Mexico on […] Read more
Let’s talk about tar spot
OMAFRA Field Crop Report for September 15
Libro invests in ag-venture capital fund Emmertech
Innovation investment in southwestern Ontario aims to drive agriculture technology growth
The nexus where agriculture, agribusiness and technological innovation meet has financial support in Emmertech, a Canadian agriculture tech capital venture fund. “The Canadian venture capital playbook doesn’t work within the ag-tech industry as it does other industries,” said Sean O’Connor, managing director, Conexus Venture Capital Inc. (CVC). “So we’ve thrown it out and are building […] Read more
Vaccines not best option for African swine fever
Researcher: “The virus is so variable we can’t design a vaccine for all the genotypes”
Glacier FarmMedia – In the last three years, the African swine fever virus has killed millions of pigs and forced producers to cull tens of millions of pigs in China, Vietnam, Eastern Europe and elsewhere. In late July, the deadly virus was detected in the Dominican Republic, the first time it’s been in the Americas […] Read more
Buffer strips save soil, address field trouble spots
Strategically placed areas bring economic and environmental benefits
Buffer strips do more than prevent soil loss. When strategically placed, they can improve in-crop pest control, support pollination and help save money on otherwise troublesome parts of a field. Why it matters: When established in underperforming or problem areas, buffer strips can reduce input costs and insect pest pressure while acting as a positive […] Read more
Autonomous baler handles tedious part of job
Robot uses a scouring pattern to find bales in the field
Glacier FarmMedia – Collecting bales that are spread out across large fields is an onerous job. That’s why Vermeer has developed an autonomous bale mover. “We saw a need out there starting with biomass, where we needed to pick up a bunch of corn stalk bales and put them to the edge of the field,” […] Read more
Agriculture unlikely to get much election focus
Conservatives to continue dominance of rural ridings
Agriculture is not expected to feature heavily in political debates held in advance of Canada’s Sept. 20 federal vote. Since taking office in 2015, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has had plenty of opportunity to demonstrate to farmers that his version of the Liberal party can work for them. He has failed to convince farmers, however, […] Read more
Drone tech’s next big target? Insect pest management
Science Notes: There are multiple potential future applications for drone tech in the works
Drones keep getting smaller and smaller, while their potential applications keep getting bigger and bigger. And now unmanned aircraft systems are taking on some of the world’s biggest small problems: insect pests. From crop-munching caterpillars to disease-transmitting mosquitoes, insects that threaten crops, ecosystems, and public health are increasingly being targeted with new pest-management strategies that […] Read more
Lessons learned from public reaction to palm oil in dairy rations
Canadian had front-row seats for both Buttergate and New Zealand controversies
Social media conversations about food can go from benign to trending in a matter of hours or days. That became painfully obvious to Canadian dairy farmers during the so-called “Buttergate” controversy earlier this year. The same thing happened five years ago to New Zealand dairy farmers during an environmentalist-led campaign against using a palm oil […] Read more
Ag organizations lean toward virtual AGMs this year
Hybrid models with an in-person option are possible in 2022
As autumn creeps along the edge of summer and harvest hits high gear, plans are made for agriculture’s season of annual general meetings. An AGM used to mean a few days away from the farm, an opportunity to socialize, be educated on the latest trends and technology, celebrate a banner year or find solutions to […] Read more
Opinion: Glyphosate a tool for farmers, not a politician’s tactic
Glyphosate review aimed to bring Canada’s limits in line with international norms
Glacier FarmMedia – Ahead of a federal election call, three federal ministers called a halt to a process that would likely have yielded quick results on increasing the maximum residue limits for glyphosate applied to dry beans, lentils and peas. Regular reviews of the scientific data for safe levels of pesticides on food products and […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
