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The rise of verticillium stripe

Verticillium stripe’s prevalence has been on a steady upward trajectory in the Eastern Prairies. In Manitoba, it was found in 38 per cent of canola fields surveyed in 2022 – a level similar to sclerotinia stem rot. But severity remains uncertain. Researchers don’t know if it causes sclerotinia levels of yield loss.

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Using data to map the profitability of VR

Wayne Schneider, an Alberta Canola director who farms at Nisku, is back using variable-rate (VR) fertilizer applications on his farm – but he doesn’t know whether it provides a return on investment. “Right now, I can’t answer that question,” he says. Schneider is working with Conservis, a farm data management company based in Minneapolis, Minnesota,...

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Two machines, one person

Synchronous operation has two machines – one with an on-board operator and another autonomous – working together doing the same job and following the same field map. With close supervision of the robot, this could be the system that introduces large-scale robots to Prairie fields.

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Agronomists name herbicide-resistant weeds as top threat

The Canola Council of Canada surveyed 330 agronomy providers from across the Prairies in August 2022. When asked “What canola agronomic risk factors are likely to be the greatest concerns for your farmer customers over the coming five years?”, the top answer was herbicide-resistant weeds.

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Pest number one becomes number one-er

Hungry hoards of tiny flea beetles are part of the brassica crop landscape. Damage the past few years, particularly for the Eastern Prairies, is beyond normal and has farmers looking at lower action thresholds, later seeding dates and steps to improve the efficacy of insecticide sprays.