Inputs - by Top Crop Manager

While there are indicators that help predict disease prevalence in a growing season, the many factors that influence crop disease risk and severity keep farmers, agronomists and pathologists on their toes. 2020 has been a wet year for many on the Prairies, but this has less of an effect on crop disease than you may expect, according to Kelly Turkington, a plant pathologist with Agriculture and Agr...

In this second bonus episode as part of our Harvest Hub series, Top Crop Manager's Western Field Editor Bruce Barker talks to Charley Sprenger, project leader at the Prairie Agriculture Machinery Institute (PAMI), about management of stored pulses. This episode is part of Harvest Hub, a week of content dedicated to sharing insights and tips to help Canadian farmers prepare for harvest season. Reso...

Farmers across Canada experienced a "harvest from hell" in 2019; one that couldn't end soon enough (but for many, one that continued through spring 2020). Top Crop Manager 's Harvest Hub will share content to help you prepare for what harvest 2020 might bring, including this bonus episode of Inputs featuring our Western Field Editor, Bruce Barker and Charley Sprenger, project leader with the Prair...

Insect pest pressure in the 2020 growing season is quite clearly divided between Eastern and Western Canada. The hot, dry conditions in Ontario have resulted in an increase of insect pests in variety and populations. On the Prairies, the wet conditions haven’t allowed many insect pests to flourish, so pressure is lower across the board, but there are some new insects to watch out for. Tracey Baute...

Scouting fields is an essential method of monitoring crop development and evaluating pest and disease risk. It should happen frequently through the season, ramping up to every couple of days when risks are higher. Recently, digital tools have become more popular and as Lydia Parker, field product specialist with Climate FieldView says, digital scouting tools can be a great tool to supplement the b...

The 2020 Plant Health Summit gathered farmers, agronomists, researchers and industry members at the TCU Place in Saskatoon to learn about the latest research and strategies for optimal crop health. In the seventh and final episode of our Plant Health Summit Series, Tom Wolf, a spray application specialist, co-owner of Agrimetrix Research and Training in Saskatoon, and co-creator of Sprayers 101, d...

The 2020 Plant Health Summit gathered farmers, agronomists, researchers and industry members at the TCU Place in Saskatoon to learn about the latest research and strategies for optimal crop health. Our sixth episode features Leon Kochian, Canada Excellence Research Chair in Global Food Security at the University of Saskatchewan, in conversation with Stephanie Gordon about next-generation technolog...

The 2020 Plant Health Summit gathered farmers, agronomists, researchers and industry members at the TCU Place in Saskatoon to learn about the latest research and strategies for optimal crop health. In the fifth episode of our Plant Health Summit Series, Syama Chatterton, plant pathologist at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) Lethbridge Research and Development Centre, discusses her research...

The 2020 Plant Health Summit gathered farmers, agronomists, researchers and industry members at the TCU Place in Saskatoon to learn about the latest research and strategies for optimal crop health. In the fourth episode of our Plant Health Summit Series, Tyler Wist, a field crop entomologist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in Saskatoon, and John Gavloski, an entomologist with Manitoba Agricu...

The 2020 Plant Health Summit gathered farmers, agronomists, researchers and industry members at the TCU Place in Saskatoon to learn about the latest research and strategies for optimal crop health. In the third episode of our Plant Health Summit Series, Sheri Strydhorst, an agronomic research scientist with Alberta Agriculture and Forestry, and Amy Mangin, a PhD student at the University of Manito...

The 2020 Plant Health Summit gathered farmers, agronomists, researchers and industry members at the TCU Place in Saskatoon to learn about the latest research and strategies for optimal crop health.  In the second episode of our Plant Health Summit Series, Joy Agnew, director of applied research at Olds College in Alberta, discusses smart technology in agriculture and its applications with Top Cro...

The 2020 Plant Health Summit gathered farmers, agronomists, researchers and industry members at the TCU Place in Saskatoon to learn about the latest research and strategies for optimal crop health. In the first episode of our Plant Health Summit Series, Jeff Schoenau, professor of soil fertility at the University of Saskatchewan discusses the importance of fertilizer to improve crop quality with T...

This episode of Inputs talks about late-planted corn, the future of the seed industry in Canada, and offers a behind-the-scenes look at the Production Pundits session. The Southwest Agricultural Conference is an annual conference held in southwestern Ontario that takes producers ‘back to school’ on the latest topics in farming. In the episode, Ben Rosser, corn specialist with Ontario’s Ministry of...

This bonus episode of Inputs is all about canola – from how harvest was to producer plans for 2020. Associate editor Stephanie Gordon shares highlights from when she travelled to Winnipeg to attend the Canola Discovery Forum from Nov. 13 to 15, 2019. In the episode, Keith Gabert, agronomy specialist with the Canola Council of Canada, shares ways growers can improve their integrated pest management...

What role does potassium play in crop management, and how do crops respond when there’s a deficiency of it? Robert Mullen, the director of agronomy sales for Nutrien, discusses the ins and outs of potassium fertilizer on this episode of Inputs .

As producers plan and think ahead, a well-balanced crop rotation is one way to mitigate agronomic and business risk on the operation. Darren Bond, farm management specialist with Manitoba Agriculture, joins us on this episode of Inputs to discuss what’s involved with good crop rotation. Bond touches on weeds, pests and disease management, changing varieties, weather considerations, as well as the...

What crops benefit from a fall fertilizer application, and when, where, and how should you approach it? Robert Mullen, director of agronomy sales for Nutrien, joins us on this episode of Inputs, to share some best practices.

In 2020, Manitoba will see the launch of two pea-protein processing facilities. This episode of Inputs: the podcast by Top Crop Manager, provides context on where the pea-protein industry is and explores some of the opportunities and challenges for growing peas. Cassandra Tkachuk, production specialist with the Manitoba Pulse and Soybean Growers, also joins us to provide an agronomy angle to the t...

With harvest on the horizon, the performance of this year’s crop will set the stage for what’s required next year. Robert Mullen, director of agronomy sales for Nutrien, joins us on this episode of Inputs: the podcast by Top Crop Manager , to discuss post harvest best practices, from soil sampling to nutrient management.

Ontario saw poor winter wheat survival in 2019, in part because of wet weather in the fall and spring. To avoid a repeat season, growers are exploring how to ensure their crop gets off to a good start. In this episode, Joanna Follings discusses some of the risks of planting early, ideal seeding rate and depth, along with some input considerations for a good winter wheat crop.