Terry Buss displays a photograph showing a side-by-side comparison of field peas infected with ascochyta blight isolates resistant to Frac 11 fungicides. From left to right: untreated, treated with Headline (Frac 11) fungicide and treated with a Proline fungicide.

Field peas a strong alternative to soybeans

But you’ll need to remember the rulebook is different

Field pea markets might still be depressed following last year’s trade disputes with India, but the crop represents an opportunity for Manitoba producers in the long term. That’s according to Terry Buss, farm production extension specialist for Manitoba Agriculture. “As you go west and south in Manitoba, the soils are lighter and better drained, and

MAFRD’s Anastasia Kubinec says the Manitoba Crop Diagnostic School gives agronomists hands-on training.

Manitoba Crop Diagnostic School focuses on topics important to agronomists

July 17 is set aside for farmers only to attend with a reduced registration fee

This year’s Manitoba Crop Diagnostic School is expected to sell out — again. As of last week there were still some openings July 16 and for farmers only — July 17, said Anastasia Kubinec, oilseed specialist with Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Development (MAFRD). “We’re pretty much sold out,” she said in an interview June 25. “I


An early seeding start is not worth the risk

Test plots seeded this April ducked frost but didn’t gain much of a head start because soil temperatures were too low

If you ask a group of farmers what’s at the top of their wish list in early March, many would say an early spring, because it eases the logistical challenges of seeding large acreages and reduces the odds of being caught by an early-autumn frost. This year’s exceptionally early spring had the phones ringing off

Fiddling with soybean seed depth brings risks

Experts say you’re supposed to plant soybeans one inch deep, give or take a quarter of an inch. But many producers are going deeper when searching for moisture in dry periods, or shallower when the soil is moist and they’re keen to get the crop off to a quick start. More and more growers —


Can you weatherproof your farm?

Plants draw different amounts of moisture from different depths in the soil, 
and growers can make those differences work for them

Grain farmers are always hoping for a Goldilocks year — not too wet, not too dry, but just right. But since fairy tales rarely come true, researchers with Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives are looking for alternative approaches. “It’s led us to wonder how we might weatherproof our crop rotations a bit,” oilseed specialist