The price of wheat is on the rise and the push for higher yield is on. With the growing season starting out very dry across majority of the province, fungicides weren't really at the forefront of everyone’s minds. However, the last couple weeks we have been getting some much needed rain in many areas, and there’s more on the way. Last week was warm and humid, which can favor the development of disease. This brings forth the question of the most efficient and effective time to apply fungicide to protect your wheat crop from yield and quality robbing diseases.

Fungicide is a relatively expensive investment, so at what stage will you get the best return on that investment?

That’s what we chat about in this episode of Wheat Profit with our guest, Dr. Sheri Strydhorst. Dr. Strydhorst has recently joined Alberta Wheat and Barley commissions as their Agronomy Research Specialist and worked previously as a cereal agronomic research scientist with Alberta Agriculture. Her research focussed on maximizing the genetic potential of cultivars by using cultivar specific agronomic management.

During spray season there are many things to consider: product, active ingredient, crop staging, weather conditions, water volume, nozzles, speed, the list goes on. But one factor that is often over looked is water quality. With so many factors effecting spray efficacy like environmental conditions, water volume, herbicide resistance, there’s many things that can cause reduced efficacy, which means poor water quality is hard to point the finger at and often overlooked. But water makes up well over 90% of our spray volume and is an important factor to consider when looking at chemical efficacy.

Poor water quality can cause significant tie up of herbicides,  so it is important to ensure you have a good water source. 

This Wheat Profit will be discussing spray water quality and water treatments with Martin Carr of Winfield United Canada

Winfield United Canada has built a reputation for helping independent Canadian ag retailers bring ideas and innovation to farmers across the country for many years. They’re global leaders in adjuvants, and are widely regarded as industry experts in spray application technology. They have decades of experience in the adjuvant business and have covered millions of acres across North America in that time. 

They have discovered and manufactured products for spray water quality and also distribute fertilizer, seed and crop protection products to ag-retailers in Canada. Martin is part of the Agronomy team with Winfield United Canada.

More information: 

[https://www.saskatchewan.ca/business/agriculture-natural-resources-and-industry/agribusiness-farmers-and-ranchers/crops-and-irrigation/weeds/water-quality-and-herbicides]

Seeding 2021 is just starting to ramp up, and conditions across many parts of the province are drier than normal. Seeding into dry soils can be inevitable on the prairies, and there are some challenges associated with that. Dry conditions require careful consideration of many management practices such as seeding depth, seed treatment, seed safety, fertility, and herbicide carryover. Prairie wheat and barley commissions teamed up to produce a resource for producers covering some important considerations for seeding into dry soils, this resource can be found on our website under the agronomy tab.

The less than average precipitation across many areas of Saskatchewan means that some herbicides may not have broken down, and could potentially put this year's wheat crop at risk for herbicide damage.

This is what we will be discussing today on wheat profit, with our guest Doug Fehr.

Doug has worked in the ag industry for many years. He is a professional agrologist, and spent much of his career working with Dupont, now Corteva, as a technical sales agronomist.

In this episode, we discuss the lifecycle, management, and research of wireworms with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada entomologist Dr. Haley Catton. 

In this episode, we discuss the soil moisture outlook for 2021 with Les Henry. Les is a legend in the agronomy world and is well-known for his no-nonsense, practical approach to agriculture. He is a former professor and extension specialist at the University of Saskatchewan. He farms near Dundurn.

The 2021 soil moisture map can be found here: https://www.grainews.ca/columns/les-henry-soil-moisture-map-for-2021/

In this episode, we chat about the research and agronomics of ultra-early seeding with Dr. Brian Beres.

Brian is a Senior Research Scientist with AAFC based out of Lethbridge. He focuses on integrated crop management tools and solutions to sustain the economic and environmental viability of farming systems in Western Canada.

Today we cover the latest research into ultra-early seeding and what “ultra-early” actually means. We discuss the agronomics of it and how it can be adopted by producers across the province as a way to increase grain yield and yield stability.

For more information on ultra-early seeding, and Brian’s research, check out this Real Agriculture video:

https://youtu.be/wJI7AyT4AMc

With 2021 underway, it is a perfect time to take a look at your seed's quality for the coming season. Seed testing is an important tool for determining seedlot quality, seeding rates, and ensuring you’re starting the season with the best foundation for a strong stand establishment.

In the first episode of Wheat Profit, our guest, Shanna Stolhandske-Dale of Seed Solutions Seed Labs, discusses seed testing at a government accredited seed lab. Frost, sprouting, disease, and many other factors can affect seed quality. In this episode, we talk about what to look for in a seed test, the best time to seed test, the main potential causes of low germ and vigor, the difference in vigor and germ and what these tests entail, the benefits of seed treatments, and determining seeding rates. Shanna outlines why seed testing is such a valuable tool for producers and gives pointers on what to look for in test results.

You can find more information on Seed Solutions Seed Labs at the link below:

http://www.seedsolutionsseedlabs.com/