Inputs - by Top Crop Manager

Pulse crops have made waves in Western Canada in recent years, and for good reason – they're high in protein and pull their weight in a rotation by fixing nitrogen. Like any crop, there are agronomic challenges, but there's growing potential.

In this episode, Robyne Davidson, pulse crop specialist and research scientist at Lakeland College in Lacombe, Alta., shares agronomic insights about how well pulse crops performed in the province this season, and gives updates on the research pipeline.

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Show notes:

• Have questions about pulse crops? Reach out to Robyne via email or on Twitter @PulseChickAB

Grasshoppers, flea beetles, lygus bugs, grasshoppers, crickets – Tyler Wist has seen all of these and more in recent years. Wist, a research scientist and field crop entomologist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in Saskatoon, is the guest on this week's episode of Inputs, and unlike many, he's happy to see insects show up in field crops. In this conversation, he breaks down some of the research in his pipeline, his observations from the 2022 season, and chats about Field Heroes, the program that supports beneficial insects and pollinators.

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Show notes:

• Find Tyler Wist on Twitter: @TylerWist1
• Check out the Field Heroes website or Twitter to learn more about beneficial insects

Support for this episode provided by Smart Nutrition MAP + MST and Corteva.

Continuous corn has been possible the past couple decades thanks to Bt corn hybrids. But, as in many situations where there are limited options for control, the repeated use of Bt corn has allowed resistance to develop in corn rootworm populations. In a report published in late August, Tracey Baute, field crop entomologist with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA), stated that cases of corn rootworm resistance to Bt rootworm (Bt-RW) hybrids have cropped up in fields of continuous corn in new counties. 

Corn is used by many livestock farmers as feed due to its abundance and nutritional content. So, what can we do? In this episode of Inputs, Baute discusses how Bt corn hybrids have worked to manage corn rootworm so far, how resistance has developed and what it means for corn growers going forward.

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• OMAFRA's Field Crop News recently discussed strategies for dealing with resistant rootworm populations;
• Alternative forages to silage corn (compiled by OMAFRA forage and grazing specialist Christine O'Reilly;
• Baute references a massive windstorm in Iowa – this was the August 2020 Iowa derecho.

Support for this episode provided by Dekalb and FCC AgExpert.

When you've worked so hard all year to achieve a beautiful canola crop, the last thing you need is a problem in the bin. Luckily, the Canola Council of Canada has five simple tips for keeping crops clean and ready for market. Harvest season is busy, but it's important to remember that the season doesn't end after the crop is in the bin.

Ian Epp, an agronomy specialist with the Canola Council of Canada and active farmer, joins Stefanie Croley to review recommendations from Keep it Clean and share practical advice to help finish your season off on a great note.

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Show notes:

• Visit KeepitClean.ca to review the 5 Simple Tips to keep your crop ready for market.

The Canola Council of Canada recently launched Canola 4R Advantage, a program designed to help growers initiate or advance nutrient stewardship and fertilizer efficiency on canola farms. Curtis Rempel, vice-president of crop production and innovation for the Canola Council of Canada, joins co-host Stefanie Croley to discuss the program and break down the benefits available to canola producers.

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Show notes:

• Find out more about the Canola 4R Advantage program here.

Biscuity, bready, toffee, a chewy mouth feel – if you appreciate these adjectives in your beer, you have malt barley to thank. This cereal is the lesser-known hero of many a craft brew, next to the punchier presence of hops. 

Aaron Mills, an agronomist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in Charlottetown, P.E.I., has parlayed an interest in craft beer – developed while working at a craft brewery in the Annapolis Valley – into a search for barley varieties suited for growing conditions in Atlantic Canada. In this episode of Inputs, Mills and Alex Barnard, editor of Top Crop Manager East, discuss how craft beer has informed his research, what he looks for in a malt barley variety for the East Coast, and the challenges of growing the crop in Maritime conditions.

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• The Jason mentioned in this episode is Jason McCallum, a research scientist with AAFC-Charlottetown who collaborates with Mills on Maritime hops and barley research.

April, May and June showers bring... bumper crops? That's the hope, especially in Manitoba, where excess rain has delayed seeding and spraying, impacted crop emergence and created high weed, disease and insect pest pressure. In this episode of Inputs, co-host Dylan Sjolie chats with entomologist John Gavloski and field crop pathologist David Kaminski, both with Manitoba Agriculture, on the challenges producers are facing in the province. Gavloski and Kaminski share insight on how precipitation affects the development of plant diseases and insects, as well as advice and predictions for the remainder of the season.

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Show notes:

• Manitoba Agriculture releases a weekly crop report with regional information for producers.
• Manitoba Crop Pest Updates are released regularly through the growing season.
• Fusarium head blight risk maps are updated daily through the season.

It's said the first cut is the deepest – for forages, it's also the longest in terms of plant development and giving pesky insects the opportunity to snack on the growing crop.

Christine O'Reilly, forage and grazing specialist with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA), discusses how the season is going so far in preparation for (or shortly after) the first cut for many forage farmers, as well as scouting and management tips for alfalfa weevil and potato leafhopper, the two major insect pests with which Ontario forage growers must contend.

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Show notes

• fieldcropnews.com
• Ontario Crop Protection Hub
• Publication 811, OMAFRA's Agronomy Guide for Field Crops
• May 2022 Ontario forage report
• Potato leafhopper in alfalfa
• Alfalfa weevil

This episode is sponsored by Ag Direct Hail Insurance.

The Canola Council of Canada is a national trade association that represents the entire canola value chain. Beyond offering canola producers across the country agronomic resources and support, the council plays an important role in market and trade.

Clint Jurke, agronomy director of the Canola Council of Canada, joins co-host Dylan Sjolle on this episode of Inputs to share an early season Canadian canola update, hinting at upcoming trends and sharing resources for canola growers as the season progresses.

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Show notes:

• Reach Clint Jurke via e-mail
• Subscribe to Canola Watch
• Learn more about Canola Week
• Use the Canola Calculator tool

Sponsored by Farm Credit Canada.

When do you plant winter wheat? There may be an ideal date that comes to mind based on where you farm, but the reality is there are plenty of factors that affect when you actually get the crop in the ground, like the previous crop in rotation and when you can get it harvested, weather, soil conditions, and more.

This episode of Inputs features Emma Dieleman, graduate student at the University of Guelph's Ridgetown Campus conducting her research under the supervision of Drs. Dave Hooker and Josh Nasielski. She is looking at the effects of different winter wheat planting dates and the use of harvest desiccants on soybeans when they precede winter wheat in rotation, and discusses why this research is timely, her results so far, and what she's seen from this year's winter wheat crop already.

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Sponsored by Ag Direct Hail Insurance.