New varieties aim to push CDC Falcon from its perch

As of Aug. 1, 2014, CDC Falcon moves to the Canada Western General 
Purpose class from Canada Western Red Winter

Winter wheat growers in Manitoba have some new options to consider after their overwhelming favourite, CDC Falcon, moves to the Canada Western General Purpose (CWGP) class Aug. 1, 2014. That class is usually composed of feed and ethanol feedstock wheats, which don’t fetch the premiums paid for milling and baking wheats in the Canada Western

AgCanada boss says budget cuts won’t affect fusarium head blight research

Recently retired plant pathologists Andy Tekauz and Jeannie Gilbert will be replaced, 
but the positions will be in Morden, not Winnipeg

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada isn’t easing up in the battle against fusarium head blight, says the director general for the department’s Prairie/Boreal Plain Ecozone. “Fusarium work is a high priority,” said Stephen Morgan Jones. “It is, along with the rust diseases, a very high priority for us.” Jones said two recently retired fusarium experts from


Popular herbicide may be linked to increased pathogen virulence, says Huber

Emeritus professor from Purdue University and former U.S. army bioweapons expert points to 
growing evidence of potential harm from genetic engineering and herbicide “abuse”

Don Huber may not be a big fan of organic agriculture, but he’s become a hero among organic farmers with his contention that glyphosate is less benign than its promoters crack it up to be. Huber an emeritus professor of Plant Pathology from Purdue University, isn’t backing down, even though some dismiss him as a

Harvest most popular CWRS wheat in Manitoba

The high-yielding, fusarium-susceptible variety captured the highest percentage of provincial acres this year, but newcomer Carberry is rising with a bullet

Just like the classic Neil Young album of the same name, Harvest is topping the charts. In this case, it’s the Canada Western Red Spring acreage chart in Manitoba. “It’s been quietly beavering away out there with not too many people paying attention,” said Stephen Fox, the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada scientist who bred the


CDC Falcon shifts to general purpose class Aug. 1, 2014

CDC Falcon, Manitoba’s most popular winter wheat, will be shifted to the Canada Western General Purpose wheat class next August as long as there’s enough suitable replacement seed available. Moats and Flourish have performed as well as CDC Falcon in trials and meet the quality standards for the Canada Western Red Winter wheat class. There’s

Breeder trials show winter wheat improvements

Winter wheat growers can look forward to superior new varieties coming down the pipe. A number of varieties, including Kestrel and Raptor, will drop out of the milling-quality Canadian Western Red Winter class and into the general purpose class a year from now. On Aug. 1, 2014, Falcon will also drop into the GP class.


What spring wheat variety is right for you?

Pest and disease challenges are reducing AC Barrie acreage, 
but the alternatives require some careful thought

Just a few short years ago the questions surrounding planting spring wheat were fairly straightforward — such as how many acres and how did it pencil out. A question that very rarely came up in Manitoba was what variety to plant — it was all but certain that the seed that went into the ground

Crop holding its own as rainy weather continues

Provincial Summary:  Seeding progress in Manitoba is estimated to be 98 per cent complete. Some reseeding is still occurring.  Generally, the condition of most crop types is rated as good.  Heavy rains in some areas of Manitoba have resulted in ponding and saturated soil conditions, mainly in the lower and poorly drained areas of the


Fungicide season has begun

Flag leaf stage applications provide the best protection Winter wheat is at, or near the stage, for applying fungicides to protect it from various leaf diseases and spring wheat isn’t far behind, says Holly Derksen, a plant pathologist with Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives (MAFRI). Some winter wheat fields were at the flag-leaf stage

Practical fusarium management tips

Neil Galbraith takes an integrated approach to managing fusarium head blight on his farm at Minnedosa. He shared his techniques at the 7th Canadian Workshop on Fusarium Head Blight in Winnipeg recently. Most of the conference speakers were scientists often delivering highly technical information. Galbraith provided a view from the field. Wheat variety selection, seeding