Algal blooms are nothing new on Lake Winnipeg. But what’s causing them is a very complex, multi-jurisdictional problem.

Getting phosphorus out of Lake Winnipeg and onto fields

Manitoba’s agriculture needs and waterways are on opposite sides of the phosphorus debate — or are they?

Lake Winnipeg might be drowning in phosphorus, but plenty of soils in the province are gasping for it. Lake Winnipeg has become infamous for its water quality, and not in a good way. Algal blooms and E. coli cases have become a familiar state of affairs in the south basin, while over half of samples

VIDEO: Timing fungicide decisions in canola and cereal crops

VIDEO: Timing fungicide decisions in canola and cereal crops

Crop Diagnostic School: A relatively dry growing season in 2019 didn't rule out fusarium issues

At Crop Diagnostic School in July, David Kaminski, plant pathologist with Manitoba Agriculture, said 2019 was a challenge for producers when it came to timing fungicide applications. In this video, Kaminski discusses some of the conditions Manitoba producers faced this growing season in their canola and cereal crops and some of the factors at play


VIDEO: Six things you can do to avoid clubroot

VIDEO: Six things you can do to avoid clubroot

As the threat of clubroot grows in Manitoba, these steps can go a long way to protect your canola crop

Wondering what you can do avoid clubroot in your canola? At Crop Diagnostic School in Carman this past July, Dane Froese with Manitoba Agriculture offered six things producers can do to help reduce their risk of having clubroot appear in their fields.

Tammy Jones speaking to attendees during a Crop Diagnostic School session in 2019.

VIDEO: Deciding when to spray to wipe out weeds

Know your economic threshold before firing up the sprayer

Deciding when to spray is key to limiting the spread of weeds and capturing the best yield your crop can offer. As with nearly every aspect of crop production, weather plays a key role and the amount of precipitation in a growing season  – and the timing of your herbicide application – will go a

Attendees at the Crop Diagnostic School earlier in July pore over an oat crop at the Ian N. Morrisson Research Farm in Carman.

A thorn in the side of oat growers

Common buckthorn is a haven for crown rust spores over the winter and an easy source of infection if the farmer opts for a susceptible oat variety

Oat growers may want to gauge the distance to the nearest woody stream bed the next time they choose a variety. That’s one of the messages sent out during this year’s Crop Diagnostic School in Carman in the first two weeks of July. Why it matters: Manitoba’s most popular oat varieties have either been downgraded


VIDEO: Bean development in Manitoba

VIDEO: Bean development in Manitoba

Lower temperatures early in the season have slowed growth to some extent

So, how are soybeans and dry beans faring in Manitoba this crop season? At the recent Crop Diagnostic School, Dennis Lange, provincial pulse crop specialist with Manitoba Agriculture, offers what he’s seeing in terms of crop development in the province, the impact that weather has had for growers so far this year, and what options

Manitoba Agriculture’s Dennis Lange puts hail recovery products to the test in Carman this year.

Hail Mary passes?

The promise of hail recovery products sounds great for dry bean producers, but so far trials have yielded mostly question marks

Dry bean growers better be ready to make more than one pass if they’re trying some of the new post-hail recovery products to fend off blight. “There are products registered, but they’re registered for multiple applications, so if you’re just spraying something on a crop as a one-off, you probably won’t see that yield benefit,”

VIDEO: Know your grasshopper stages before deciding to spray

VIDEO: Know your grasshopper stages before deciding to spray

If you hit your fields early, you could end up spraying twice

You’ve got grasshoppers in your fields, but before you fill up your sprayer to help limit the damage – and their appetites – do you know what growth stage you’re looking at? In this video, John Gavloski, entomologist with Manitoba Agriculture, offers his experience on staging grasshoppers and why their third to fourth juvenile stage


VIDEO: How to treat grasshoppers that have made the jump to your fields

VIDEO: How to treat grasshoppers that have made the jump to your fields

What to look for when deciding to spray for the voracious pest

If you’re seeing plenty of grasshoppers in your fields, you’re likely far from alone. John Gavloski, entomologist with Manitoba Agriculture, said at the Crop Diagnostic School on July 9 that populations have been on the increase for about three years. So, what action should you take if you see these hungry pests eating your crop?

This Carolina grasshopper is a common sight on gravel roads but it’s not a threat to your crops.

Mistaken identity

Not everything that looks like a pest insect actually is

One of Manitoba’s best-known insect experts is reminding farmers to be sure of what they’re seeing when they scout. For example, that “wireworm” problem may not actually be a problem at all. Therevid larvae (the precursor to a large, hairy fly) are often mistaken for wireworms, provincial entomologist John Gavloski said during a May 22