Agronomy Archives - Page 9 of 42 - Manitoba Co-operator

Canola traders are fixed on forecasts for a record crop

Minneapolis wheat suggests protein will be in short supply

September 28, 2017

ICE Futures Canada canola contracts trended higher for the past two weeks, despite seasonal harvest pressure, although the bigger picture remains sideways and rangebound. The November contract briefly traded above the 200-day moving average of $497 per tonne on Sept. 22, on the back of some fund buying triggered by a rally in Chicago soybeans.

Mitchell Timmmerman, agri-ecosystems specialist with Manitoba Agriculture, highlights root difference between crops during the Manitoba Beef and Forage Initiatives Brookdale tour August 30.

Crops, Local news

Soils are not made equally when it comes to soaking up moisture

Mitchell Timmerman’s rainfall simulation emphasized the role of  perennial forages in increasing infiltration during the August 30  Manitoba Beef and Forage Initiatives Brookdale site tour

By Alexis Stockford September 25, 2017

Which one will soak it up first? That was the question a recent demonstration at the Manitoba Beef and Forage Initiatives (MBFI) Brookdale site tried to answer. It was a head-to-head comparison of the ability of fields to soak up surface moisture by Mitchell Timmerman, the province’s agri-ecosystems specialist, using a rainfall simulator that made

Comment, Opinion

Farmers’ focus must shift from yields to soil health

But looking after the land doesn’t have to result in a ‘yield penalty’

By Laura Rance-Unger September 25, 2017

A funny thing happens whenever talk turns to how to make farming more sustainable. As various options for improving how agriculture treats the natural environment are discussed, someone inevitably brings up the “yield penalty” farmers and society would pay. That penalty is seen as the gap between conventional methods using tillage and high rates of

Bob McIntosh, who farms in Perth County, says it can take a lifetime or longer to repair degraded soils.

Crops

Degraded soils cost farmers billions annually

Yet soil care remains a low priority for policy-makers as well as farmers

By Laura Rance-Unger September 19, 2017

Farmers have reduced the amount of soil they lose through annual cropping practices, but they continue to carry a costly legacy of degraded soils, a University of Manitoba soil scientist says. David Lobb used crop production data and computer models to estimate how much lost productivity has occurred over the past four decades due to

Dr. Yvonne Lawley of the University of Manitoba presents initial data in front of her newest line of plots evaluating the impact of tillage on soybeans.

Crops, Oilseeds

To till or not to till? For soybeans that’s the question

The Westman Agricultural Diversification Organization is testing out planting dates and  pre-seed tillage systems in its latest round of soybean experiments

By Alexis Stockford August 15, 2017

Conventional wisdom says to break out the harrow before planting soybeans, the better to expose black earth and warm the soil, but new research is putting that assumption to the test. Dr. Yvonne Lawley of the University of Manitoba is measuring the effect of seeding date and different tillage systems on soybeans through several regions

Comment, Crops, Weather

The rain dilemma for U.S. corn, soybeans

Localized storms are making widely used weather models less meaningful to the market 

By Karen Braun August 14, 2017

Rain has been falling across the U.S. Corn and Soybean Belt this month but crop ratings have been low or declining, a sign that some farmers may be getting too much moisture while others have parched fields. Because summer storms have been so localized, the two leading weather models used by traders may be little

When it comes to a canola stand, how dense is dense enough? That topic has been the subject of some debate lately.

Crops, Oilseeds

How dense is the perfect canola stand?

Economic-focused studies say lower stand density might mean bigger profit, while other experts warn that it might be short-term financial gain for long-term agronomic pain

By Alexis Stockford July 25, 2017

Have canola growers been targeting too-dense stands? According to one oilseed specialist that might be the case, but not everyone agrees. Murray Hartman, oilseeds specialist with Alberta Agriculture and Forestry put forward the controversial suggestion during a presentation at Canolapalooza June 22 in Portage la Prairie. He says the current target of seven to 10

The latest estimates are that as much as 50 per cent of the crop area in Western Canada could be affected by Group 1- and/or Group 2-resistant wild oats.

Special Event Feature

Ag in Motion: Managing herbicide resistance

July 18, 2017

Diversity is defined in the dictionary as “the condition of having or being composed of differing elements.” In weed control, diversity means using multiple strategies, or an integrated weed management approach. For herbicides, this means using all of the modes of action available to reduce the risk of weed resistance. This may be obvious, but

Rolling soybeans makes for an easier harvest, especially on stony land.

Crops, Oilseeds, Pulses

Tips for rolling emerged soybeans

The best time is at the first trifoliate on a warm afternoon to limit damage

By Allan Dawson June 26, 2017

When rolling emerged soybeans timing is important, says Dennis Lange, pulse crop specialist with Manitoba Agriculture. Conditions need to be right to avoid crop damage. Soybeans shouldn’t be too young or too old and the air temperature should be at least 25 C and ideally closer to 28 C. Rolling, which is done to flatten

Manitoba Agriculture land management specialist Marla Riekman (l), and farmer Doug Wilton and his son Andrew discuss the ‘soilyourundies’ demonstration in one of Doug’s zero-till fields near Roland, Man. April 18.

Crops, Local news

What’s in your field?

Planting a pair of tighty whities can help you find out

By Allan Dawson June 7, 2017

Doug Wilton is curious about how much soil “wildlife” is in his fields. That’s why the Roland-area farmer is participating in the “soilyourundies” demonstration launched during Soil Conservation Week in April. “The Soil Conservation Council (of Canada) decided this would be something kind of fun and exciting and different to do in order to bring

Daily Network News

Women who fed a nation

U.S. grains: Soybeans rise on China demand hopes; corn and wheat rebound

U.S. livestock: Hogs rebound, cattle hit upward limits

Tag Archives Agronomy