Mice and rats are more than just an irritation on farms. Known as the most destructive vertebrates on earth, mice and rats pose a serious threat as disease transmission vectors and they cause structural and electrical damage, feed loss and contamination. “While fall is peak season for rodent infestation as mice and rats seek shelter […] Read more
Tag Archives Agricultural pests
Manage rodents, minimize disease risk
Service providers should understand the biosecurity requirements of a farm before arriving to treat a rodent problem
Weed of the week: Canada thistle
Canada thistle has more than one way or reproducing, making it tougher to control
It takes more than one field action to control Canada thistle – a prolific weed with a couple tricks up its sleeve. Also called creeping thistle and field thistle, Canada thistle (Cirsium arvense) is a perennial weed that reproduces both by seed and by horizontal roots. Dense patches of new shoots can form from these […] Read more
Using technology to pinpoint problem weeds
U.K. researchers create inexpensive, in-field herbicide resistance test tool
Britain’s island geography has been a major barrier for invading forces throughout history, but it’s not so effective at stopping the spread of invasive weeds. That’s why United Kingdom researchers have developed an inexpensive, convenient tool to help farmers identify resistant weeds, specifically black grass, as early as possible. Black-grass is to the U.K. what […] Read more
Tracking down resistant weeds
Multiple herbicide-resistant weeds found in vegetable fields
Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Weed Management Specialist Kristen Obeid is part of a team entering the fourth year of an initiative — funded through Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada — to genetically test weed samples from vegetable fields exhibiting herbicide resistance. Obeid is part of a team that has developed a process […] Read more
Western bean cutworm laying low so far
Western bean cutworms haven’t been a major issue this year but their full impact is still unknown
Will western bean cutworm (WBC) be to 2019 what DON was to 2018? According to the evidence thus far, probably not. In fact, WBC appears sparser than expected. That said, Tracey Baute, field crop entomologist and WBC expert with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, says several factors have combined to make […] Read more
Plant stress makes early-season weed control critical
Research shows corn and soybeans can sense the presence of weeds even before emergence
Do you get anxious about weeds in the field? Your crops sure do, and according to new research, yield reductions from early-season weed pressure can happen extremely quickly. Research in the late 1980s established the significant yield impacts caused by weeds if they are not properly controlled early in the growing season, says Clarence Swanton, […] Read more
Seed terminator installed on combine
An Australian brought the system when he moved to Canada
An Australian farming in Canada is using a hammer mill on his combine to reduce his dependence on herbicide applications. Now farming in Saskatchewan, the producer brought a Seed Terminator from Down Under to test its pulverizing abilities on prairie weed seeds this harvest. Why it matters: Alternative weed control methods will gain added importance […] Read more
Crop scouting with your smartphone
Smartphone app uses machine learning to automatically identify crop diseases
An app that identifies weeds, insect damage and diseases could change the way crop scouting works. “The reality in field crop scouting for pests today is that looking for disease, weeds and insects is done often with textbooks and apps that make use of manual menus and you compare pictures,” said Warren Bills, business development […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
