Fusarium

For those of you who where unable to make it to our meeting on Wednesday, here is a quick recap of Kelly Turkington's presentation.
Fusarium is a disease that can infect all cereal grain crops.
There are four types of Fusarium
1) Graminearium- main concern due to the don levels ( mycotoxins produced)
2) Ciumorum- common in AB and no cause for concern
3) Aveneceum- more common in AB and is no cause for concern
4)Crookwellense- mainly found in Eastern Can.
Had two methods of spreading- by wind and by rain splash.
Anthesis or time of flowering is the key time for infect.
Seed treatments will have a high level of suppression on the seed borne spores, but not if its in the soil
Fungicide is registered for suppression only and has a short window of about 4-5 days ( flowering)
Barley can be harder to suppress in crop as its window of infection is longer than it is on wheat
Wet late summers with temperatures around 15-30 degrees is ideal for colonization of the disease.
The earlier in the head is infected the worse damage to the kernel, and vs versa

There is not way to know if it is Graminearium or another type of fusarium at the elevator.  It has to be sent to a lab to find out what species it is and if it is in fact fusarium. 
Should get the DNA test ( positive/negative result) AND the plate test that gives you a % infection (most labs do the plate especially if the DNA is positive)
Corn doesn't create or bring in the problem but it does act as a host same as other cereal stubble does.
Tillage is not a fix for the disease

Cattle can handle a much higher level of infection than hogs can in their feed rations.
Once the infected seed has passed through the digestive tract of a cow especially it showed no detectable levels of viable graminearium.  High temperature will kill the pathogen (+70 degrees C), but it loves cold temps.

There is NO silver bullet, but the entire package of management is your best defence.
Rotation is key!
Seed good clean seed
Treat it with a high quality seed treatment
Seed at a high seeding rate ( 2 bu/ac min)
Possible correctly timed fungicide needed.


As always call our office if you have any further questions or to drop off a seed test to send to the lab!

Aster Yellows

In the words of Dr. Ieuan Evans " Disaster Yellows" can be blamed for a significant amount of the yield loss we saw this year in canola especially. At the Farm forum last week he went over a recap of the disease.  Here are the high spots of the discussion.
*Aster yellows caused an estimated 2 billion dollars worth of damage in cereals and oil seeds
*It is a disease carried by a very small insect called the leaf hopper that spreads the disease as it feeds on crops. 
*The leaf hopper typically flies up from the Central States of the US after they hatch in the wild grass of the US plains in March to May. 
*They pick up the bacterium by eating infected wild grass and once the bacterium is in their body it stays with them for the remainder of the insects life. 
*They can drift for many hundreds of miles riding the wind currents from the the south right up into our more northern region. 
*Because the Southern and Central States experienced such a early drought there was nothing left for the leaf hoppers to feed on, causing them to move North into Canada much earlier than usual, therefor damaging crops at a young vulnerable stage. 
*The overall loss across the three prairie provinces is estimated to be 20-25%  on canola and 10-40% loss in wheat.  
 *Prediction for 2013- Chances are that it may be hard to find AY in any crop next year. The wind could be different, the leaf hopper could have a population collapse, or the infection could be non existent. 


We will be on the look out!

ADM Farm Tech Expo

Don't miss the Farm tech expo in Lloydminster on November 27, 2012!! Doors open at 9:00 and close at 5:00p.m.  It is being held in the Alberta building at the Lloydminster Exhibition Grounds. Stop by our booth for a visit, free information and prizes!!  Looking forward to seeing you there!

Carbon Credits

Carbon credits for 2012 are due November 30 2012.  If you applied for carbon credits last year through us and want to do it again this year then we still need all your information again.  The only thing you will not have to do is sign a new contract with Agritrend.  Everything else needs to be updated on a yearly basis including landlord agreements if the date has expired.  One more thing that is new this year that we have never had to ask for in the past is a digital photo of your drill taken from the back of it to show the row spacing.  If you are wanting to clam carbon credits for the first time then that's not a problem just make sure you have your AFSC records and the digital picture and we can go from there.

Feel free to call if you have any questions.

Syngenta gets into canola

Take a look at this.....

http://www.agcanada.com/daily/syngenta-to-enter-prairie-canola-seed-market/

New farm apps

There are three new apps out that are really handy to have for Western Canadian farmers.
Check out

Connected Farm,

Seeding Rate Calculator

Herbicide Tank Mix and Rainfast Guide.

Planning for 2013

With harvest in the bin, planning for next year should and is well under way for 2013. If you have good yield data take a look and try to find any patterns in fields and between fields.  Is there a quarter of land that never yields like the others or is there one that stands out as a star.  Is this somewhere you could change a few things to maximize on ROI instead of dumping a bunch of money in a spot that will never return.  This does not mean necessarily changing everything over to VR but instead just to manage at a little bit higher level to direct your inputs into where you will get the biggest bang for your buck. For example, why push for 50 bu/ac of canola when all a specific quarter of land can actually produce and ever has produced is 30 bu/ac.
Herbicide issues can appear on a yield maps as well, ie heavy weed patches, why are they there?
What has the chemical rotation been over the last few years. Could resistance be an issue on some spots or jut maybe needing a change in rotation/systems to get control of some specific weed species.
What products worked well where and why?
What didn't work and why?
The why is not something to forget about and never use/grow again... there is usually more to why it didn't work than "it just didn't work".  Also consider the conditions and the growing season issues we encountered this year.... are we likely to see that again next year?
Do you need to be thinking about more custom app... or invest in different equipment to manage the needs?



"If you always do what you have always done you will always get what you have always got."- Unknown.

XL update

Fo anyone who has a direct or indirect interest in the cattle industry ( so everyone who eats meat) this is an interesting advancment.

This was in the financial news this morning

http://money.ca.msn.com/video/?cp-documentid=cbcc2012-1810-0902-0052-229316283300

Fall reminders

With October half gone and temperatures dipping below zero, here are a few things you may want to add to your ever growing fall to do list.
We have a new soil sampling truck this fall with the soil probe installed inside the cab.  We have it fully equipped with GPS and have the ability to log the sample points for future reference if desired.  We will be up and running with it early next week so please book your soil samples if you have not already as our list is growing. 
With a few concerns of Fusarium being present in the wheat this year, it is that much more important to get your cereal seed tested this fall and to do so in good time so it give you time to find an alternative option if needed.  A seed test is one of your cheapest forms of insurance you can have.  All it takes is two weeks to get your sample back and then you know for sure what you have and can avoid some possible issues come seeding time. 
Are you in need or want of a new 3D TV?? If you book your DuPont seed with us before Nov 15 you will be entered to win a 3D TV from our location and DuPont as well as .  The draw will be made on Nov 30.  Please call our office for more details!

Fall 2012

What seemed like a solid explainable year has ended with a few questions lingering.  With all the moisture we had this year we should have seen high cereal yields with low protein. But instead we are seeing the opposite.  Low yields (relative to expectations) and high protein.  The yields on wheat are nothing to be disappointed in but barley is a surprise either coming in low yield high weight or vise versa.  No rhyme or reason... Canola well most everyone knows why the yield monitor was lower than we hoped.  Moisture and disease where the story this year.  One thing that is interesting is the variation in all varieties across a single farming operation never mind the variation across the Vermilion region.  This year is one of those years that you really cannot compare your fields to a neighbour field for accurate results.  The one thing that is very constant is that ffungicides really paid off this year with the environmental conditions and the commodity prices.  

Here are a few links to take a look at for variety trials.  We will add more when there is more data that comes available.
www.dekalbperformance.com    Dekalb Round Up Ready
www.healthierprofits.ca     Nexera canola RR and clearfield systems available.
Bayer's data to come.


A few things to think about already for next year is to book your soil samples! We will be staring on them as soon as the soil cools off to about 5 degrees but our list is growing.
Some seed varieties are sold out already! So if you want something specific be sure to call and request it early!  

Let us know if there is a topic you would like to see on our blog by leaving a comment or call our office @ 780-853-6565. 
Follow us on Twitter @WebbsCropServic

Post Harvest

Post Harvest application can mean more than just glyphosate.  As we continue to struggle with wild oats and buckwheat, cleavers and green foxtail.  Some of the older practices of fall granulars are making a come back.  Edge for example gives control of green foxtail lambsquarters, wild buckwheat, cleavers and chickweed.  So for example if you had heavy buckwheat pressure this year and wanted to go into RR canola to control some incrop cleavers then maybe a fall app of Edge is an option to get some control of the buckwheat early as well. If wild oats is your issue then maybe Avadex is an option going ahead of wheat, barley, peas or canola.  Being that its a group 8 its a nice option to switch up the chem rotation.
If you don't want to go the way of a granular product then spraying Prepass ( ahead of wheat) or Express Pro/SG might be a good option.  Prepass and Express Pro are very strong on dandelion, narrow leaved hawks beard, buckwheat and cleavers if applied from now till freeze up.  You will get some residual control if it  applied late enough (closer to freeze up).  However if it is too late then you could be loosing some of the perennial control if the weeds are no longer growing.  Express SG only can now be applied for a post harvest application prior to peas, canola or cereals as long as it is applied no later than Oct 15 ahead of canola to ensure no carry over.   Express SG is strong on stinkweed, narrow leaved hawks beard, buckwheat dandelion and flixweed. 

Remember a killing frost is considered -5 degrees for 3+ hours.  If this is the case you want to wait 2-3 days then check for regrowth and spray if there is adequate recovery of the weeds from the frost.

Call in to our office if you have any questions! 780-853-6565

Harvest

Harvest is one of the best times to assess the disease pressure and type for the following years management plans.  In canola right after swathing you can detect diseases easily. 
Sclerotina will show up in the freshly cut stubble as white to tan lesions and if broken open you can usually find the black "mouse droppings" in the stem depending on where the infection location.
Blackleg if infection is serious can actually have irregular knotty cankers at the bottom of the stem.  If this is the case you would have noticed significant yield loss .  Even if the infection is not this sever you will still be able to see a light lesion similar to sclerotinia with black pepper like specks in it.  This will usually be down near the base of the plant where as sclerotinia will be more randomly placed on the stem.  Blackleg infection will eventually cut off the flow of nutrients in the stem causing shriveled seeds and lodging.
Aster Yellows is an issue we usually see in very small amounts in this area but this year the infection is significant in some fields.  There has been reports of yield loss of 5% up to 35-40 % loss in some areas of Alberta.  This infection will make the top pods malformed and bladder like producing little to no yield on affected areas of the plant.  It can also cause sprouting of the seed in the pod or produce normal seeds with a very low number of misshapen seeds.  This disease is brought up from the US with the leaf hopper.  There is no true answer as to why we had so many leaf hoppers this year but a few things put together such as the warm winter (there could have been some overwinter from last year),  the heavy winds we had and the drought down in the states could explain some of the increase in population.

Preharvest glyphosate app is great but a post harvesat app can be even better on things like Canada thistle, Foxtail Barley (increase your rate for best results),Dandelion (ideally before October) and Quackgrass.  The key to success for the post harvest is to ensure there is some regrowth.  On thistle for example your control can go from 65% with no regrowth up to 82% control with 3-4 new leaves. So if the weather permits its well worth the extra pass. Next week we will talk about more on post harvest app and temperature tricks.

Have a great next few days of harvest.... rain rain go away!

21 days to swathing after Lorsban use.

As a heads up... Here is the warning that the canola council has issued on their web site about the preharvest interval and Lorsban used on any canola for the bertha's.  We will keep you posted of any news regarding this topic!

August 24, 2012

Canola Council of Canada Canola Watch Alert

Growers who are using Lorsban or the generics Citadel, Pyrinex and Nufos to control insects are advised to observe the pre-harvest interval (PHI) for this product. The PHI for this product is a minimum of 21 days before direct combining or 21 days before swathing.
Our canola industry relies on exports, and countries that we export to have strict regulations on the types of trace residues they allow in canola. These residues are detectable and could be traced back to individual farms in parts per billion. That amounts to nine seeds in a super-B. Please protect the quality of your load and our canola exports by always following PHIs.
http://canola.ab.ca/farmers_must_wait_21_days_to_cut_after_lorsban_application_bulletin_08_24_2012.aspx

Well, its the middle of August and there is already wheat being sprayed and canola being swathed.  Between sclerotinia, blackleg, and Bertha Army worms, the yield expectations of the canola crop for 2012 might be slightly reduced.  When there is sclerotinia in the fields it always looks worse than it it actually is because it really stands out.  When deciding when to swath try to get an unbiased view of your field and go after the healthy crop as much as you can as the diseased portion will not bring you the majority of your yield.  http://canola.ab.ca/uploads/agronomy/11ccc2008_canola_swathing_guide_sm.pdf is a good web site  that has the swathing guide and a picture to show when to swath. Keep in mind that because of the amount of branching and yield that comes from the branches on the new hybrid canola, you should take a look at the other branches other than the main stem to decide on the timing.  Typically the main stem will still ripen first but looking at the other branches will give you a better idea of where you are overall.  The bottom 1/3 of the plant should have brown seeds, the middle third should have good brown spotting on the majority of the seeds, and the top third should be firm to roll.  This is to say the top seeds should not be mushy when you roll them between your fingers.  Seed color change will increase about 10% every 2-3 days, but can progress quicker on hotter days. If you have some insect, hail, and or sclerotina in large areas of the field you may want to consider swathing when the dew is still on the plants in the early morning and or throughout the night to avoid as much shattering as possible.   
On a brighter note, the wheat is looking really good this year. Nice big heads and the seeds appear to be plump and filling nicely.  When thinking about spraying your wheat remember we are not even in September yet so don't get in a rush. You are better to wait the extra few days and go in a little later than go in too early and loose out on some of that yield you have spent all year growing.  You should be able to leave a finger nail print  in the kernels if it is ready to spray.  If it is to soft to leave that mark then its likely too early to spray.  Again you want to have as much of the field at that stage but don't wait for ever for the low spots to completely turn as your yield will not come from these late spots. 
Take notice of crop characteristics that you like/dislike so your decision making this fall and winter will be easier. 

We are now at 550 GDD which is getting really close to the 600 mark for wheat midge emerging.  There have been a few reports on some midge already being active.  It is extremely tricky to tell if the females are out or of they are still only the males.  The females emerge after the males but are usually not too far behind.  So if your wheat has not yet flowered you probably want to get out and check the heads at dusk.  The threshold to spray is around the 4-5 adult midge per head for yield and 8-10 per head for grade.  Wheat that has flowered is already beyond the risk timing as midge will only lay their larva in non flowering wheat. 
Another thing to be aware of is that the Bertha army worm moth count is up significantly this week from last week. Last Tuesday the count was at 100 moths and this Tuesday it went up to 300.  Keep in mind that this is a count of the moths not the larva so this is just an indicator to let us know they are in fact around and will be something to keep and eye on during canola podding.  These traps that are providing these counts are located at the College so they are our local numbers. To see all the up to date counts for insects visit http://www.agric.gov.ab.ca/app21/loadmedia you can choose the location on that map. 

For anyone who is interested in attending some crop tours this summer there are two on the schedule for July.
 BASF will be hosting a tour on July 19 at the Nisku research site.  To RSVP please call Slav at 780-806-9909 by July 12.
DuPont will be hosting their Touch Tomorrow Tour in Sherwood Park on July 31.  Please RSVP by July 24th to Sonia at 780-853-0463.

If you have questions or comments or a topic covered on out blog please call our office at 780-853-6565 or comment on our blog.  You can also follow us on twitter @WebbsCropServic

check for bugs!

This is the time of year when the cutworms and wire worms can do a lot of damage.  Unfortunately there is nothing you can do at this stage about wire worms other than plan for next years rotation.  Cutworms on the other hand can be managed at this point.  Cutworms like loose mellow soil, usually on south facing slopes/hills.  They tend to be  little bit worse on peas stubble or silage or on grass that was broke last fall and is now in canola.  However they can also be in wheat stubble from last year and can show up in fields that have never been a problem in the past. So its a good idea to take a quick look at your canola fields and look for any cut off plants.  If you find any, brush the surface soil away starting shallow and working your way deeper.  Cutworms are usually right near the surface however if it is wet they could be deeper.  They can be yellow, red or a brown grey in color and will curl into a ball wen you touch them.  Its well worth your time to check and make sure you don't have any as apposed to assuming you don't have any.
So far the Bertha forcast is low for our area and the diamond back moths are late this year but this can change quickly depending on our heat units.

Flea Beetles

Now that your canola is all seeded and coming up nicely, its important to keep an eye on insect pressure to make sure your hard work in seeding is not wasted.  It is easy to panic when you see some feeding on the cotyledons of your new canola, but think it through and take a closer look.  The threshold for spraying is 25%  of the cotyledon eaten, and gone.  This is a lot of damage and looks like far more than 25%.  In order for the beetle to die they have to ingest some of the leaf as that is where the insecticide from the seed treatment goes to.  So a little bit of damage is a sign that they are there but they are also dying. This is totally normal and something that happens every year.  Don't panic but keep an eye on it to ensure that they are really dying and the population is not increasing.    There are two kinds of flea beetles in our area, Crusifer (the all black smaller beetle) and the Striped which has a stripe running the length of the beetle on each side.  The Striped is a bit bigger beetle therefore it has to eat more leaf to get enough insecticide into its system to die.  They are not resistant to the seed treatment but rather just a bigger insect to kill. Something else to think of is that the canola has not been sitting in the ground for three weeks waiting to emerge, it is out of the ground with in a few days and is growing rapidly.  In many cases the crop will out grow the beetle competition and get to the stage where the beeltes don't harm the plant.   but there is the odd case where the beetle population increase to the point there are just to many mouths to feed.  Keep in mind you only want to do a maximum of two applications of insecticide per year for residue reasons, and that every time you spray to kill bad insects you are also kill and reducing the population of the natural predators that do the same thing.  Its a catch 22, if you have a population of insects worth spraying then do so for sure but try to avoid spraying just because its easy to throw in the herbicide tank in case there are some flea beetles there.  Take a look, this is threshold!   
As always call if you have any questions!

Growing Degree Days

As of today May 24, we have accumulated 118 growing degree days above 5 degrees since May 1.  Wheat needs about 125-160 GDD to emerge, canola about 102-143 GDD, barley about 109-145 GDD, and peas take about 198-230 GDD to fully emerge.  "Fully emerged" ranges from cereals having the first leaf just out of the ground to two leaves unfolded on peas. On canola fully emerged means that both cotyledons are fully unfolded.    There is a document done by Montana State University that has a full list of stages of different crops at certain GDD right up to dough stage and maturity complete.  This will be interesting to fallow as we get later in the year as we get closer to harvest.

Remember as we get closer to in crop herbicide, let us know if you want to play with some micro and or top up foliar products so we can have them in our shed when you need them.

Call if you have any questions or comments!  

Post seeding things to watch for

Time flies when your having fun!  Seeding got off to a great start and if it keeps up this pace it will be over in good time considering the date.  Once the seed is in the ground the big pressure is off. As tempting as it is to put the drill away and wait till June to look at things, there is a lot that can happen between now and in crop spraying. 
Because there was lots of seed in early and in cool soils we could be looking at some potential seedling diseases this spring.  Things like damping off, seedling blight, and hopefully not but possibly temperature damage, heat and or cold stress.  These are all thing to be looking for as soon as the crop comes up. 
Its always interesting to compare your desired plant population seeding rate to the actual emerged plants per square foot.  So do a few row counts to see where your at.   
While you are out digging around, watch for wire worms (yellow fast moving worms that can be up to 1.5 inches in length) and cutworms.  Cutworms will already be in the worm stage but could be pretty small right now.  There are three different kinds and colors, yellow, brown and green.  They curl up into a ball when they are touched.  They feed at night so look for freshly cut off plant, if you find a freshly wilted plant you should be able to find the worm just under the soil surface beside the dead plant.  They like loose soil such as pea stubble or freshly broken grass that would have been tilled in the fall.  Really anything that doesn't have alot of stubble could potentially be higher in cutworm numbers that something that has been continuously cropped, but not always.  To control them you should spray when they are active, so near dusk or in the dark when they surface to feed.  For more information or if you have any questions give us a call at the office or stop by to ask one of our Agronomists.  Good luck with the rest of seeding!

A few spring tips!

In a perfect world you should have at least 24 hours after you spray a field and before you seed it, to allow the chemical to work properly.  This is a good rule of thumb to use for pre or post seed application regardless of the chemical being used.  Temperature wise you want it to be above 10 degrees Celsius for 3-4 hours with no frost 2 days before spraying and 2 days after. This rule is more flexeable in teh spring than in the fall as long as you are on a rising temperature.
Prepare is the only pre-seed product that has residual control on wild oats.  It will last about 2 weeks depending on moisture.  It will also have about 7-10 days of residual control of weeds such as volunteer canola and stink weed.  It can only be sprayed ahead of WHEAT.  Prepass has two weeks residual on most broad leaf weeds but no residual activity on wild oats.  This product is registered ahead of CEREALS only.  Express Pro has two weeks of residual control of broad leaf weeds and is also registered only ahead of CEREALS.  Express SG has very little residual control, 2-5 days on broad leaf weeds only.  It is registered ahead of PEAS and or CEREALS.  HEAT has no broad leaf residual control unless used and a higher rate than 80 ac/case.  It can be used ahead of PEAS and or CEREALS. And last but not least Cleanstart is the only preseed burn product registered to go ahead of CANOLA other than just straight glyphosate.  Cleanstart will kill volunteer RR canola .

If you are thinking of seeding canola soon, consider more than just the soil temperature.  Look at the forecast 10 days out and see what your canola would run into frost wise in 10 days as its popping out of the ground.  Also consider the trash cover in relation to frost damage as well as emergence if its a heavy carpet of trash.  And finally the two things that we mentioned every year..... slow down < 5 mph for canola especially and check your depth as often as it makes sense to do so.

As always, call us if you have any questions!!!
Have a great safe and successful spring!!!! 

Spring conditions

Just a quick update and I am sure you have all heard some soil temps but we checked pea stubble, wheat stubble, and canola and it is anywhere from 5 to 7 degrees today around 2:00. The temps where at 2-3 inches down and very consistent, heavy trash vs. not heavy trash.

There is lots of very little broad leaf weeds just emerging from under the trash as well as some small 1 leaf volunteer cereals.

By Monday there will be lots out there to spray if the temps stay above the freezing mark.

Let us know what you have found!

IPad winners!

Congratulations to Mike Bury and Darryl Reimer the two winners of our seed pick up ipads. Thank you so much for taking your product home on April 12th!! It was greatly appreciated. Enjoy your new toy!

Seed Treating

The soil is cold and either dry or wet this time of the year. The below chart is off of the Bayer web site and it gives a good visual of what the potential seedling diseases are in any soil condition.

Warm and moist early season conditions are a breeding ground for disease, making it more important than ever to test your seed. However, seed-borne diseases are present across a range of soil temperature and soil moisture conditions.
Seed-borne Disease Favourable Conditions
Soil Moisture Dry Moist Wet
Soil Temp - Warm C. Sativus
Fusarium C. Sativus
Fusarium
Rhizoctonia Pythium
Soil Temp - Cool Rhizoctonia Fusarium
Rhizoctonia Pythium
http://www.bayercropscience.ca/products/seed-treatments/raxil/?pid=11080

Wire worm's are coming back with a vengeance. The old insecticide we used to use actually killed the worm but it has been out lawed now for many years. The new wire worm protection no longer kills the worm but rather puts it into an unconscious state until the crop has outgrown the stage of high risk. This along with more grass land being broke, the wire worm pressure has increased significantly. Because wire worms do not surface you have one chance to control them and that is in seed treatment only. This is something to watch especially if you are putting a cereal into newly broke soil. There are two different options for wire worm protections on your cereals. Call in and ask one of our agronomists if you have more questions or would like to book some seed treatment.
Remember that we do have the portable seed treater to make your life easier and more convenient this spring!

Its spring!

As soil temperatures are warming up, now is a great  time to take a look at what is growing in your fields so far.  We have had some nice weather and enough moisture to get things going.  A Preseed burn off is your best defense against early weed competition.  There are lots of different options out there for a preseed burn off tank mix.  Tank mixes have become the normal over the last few years.  Having two modes of action and 2 different groups in one application is a great way to battle the resistance issue that has become a worry. Besides that, glyphosate is a great chemical but sometimes it is not really strong on some of the spring weeds such as Dandelion etc.  Products to apply ahead of canola are limited to Cleanstart or just glyphosate.  Wheat has a much wider spectrum of products such as Express SG, Express Pro (some residual) Heat, Prepass, and Prepare (some residual).  For peas Express SG and Heat are the two top picks to mix with Glyphosate.  The other thing to consider when talking preseed burn off is water quality.  Spring is the hardest time to get great results from chemical.  The nights are cold, its usually very windy, and the plants that are growing are under a large amount of stress.  But something that often gets missed is the quality of the spray water.  Glyphosate is one if the strongest chelators there is.  This is to say that is bonds very quickly and strongly to molecules such as mmagnesium, calcuim, and sodium just to mention a few.  If you have water with a hardness score of over 300 ppm, it could be affecting your glyphosate efficacy.  There are many good products that are not costly to add to your tank mix to avoid the tie up of your glyphosate.  We have water test kits in our office that you can take home and check your water in less than 2 minutes for hardness.  Stop by or give a call if you have more questions!

As soil temperatures warm up, now is a great  time to take a look at what is growing in your fields so far.  We have had some nice weather and enough moisture to get things going.  Preseed burn off is your best defens against early weed competition.  There are lots of different options out there for a preseed burn off tank mix.  Tank mixes have become the normal over the last few years.  Having two modes of action and 2 different groups in one application is a great way to battle the resistance issue that has become a worry. Besides that, glyphosate is a great chemical but sometimes it is not really strong on some of the spring weeds such as Dandelion etc.  Products to apply ahead of canola are limited to Cleanstart or just glyphosate.  Wheat has a much wider spectrum of products such as Express SG, Express Pro (some residual) Heat, Prepass, and Prepare (some residual).  For peas Express SG and Heat are the two top picks to mix with Glyphosate.  The other thing to consider when talking preseed burn off is water quality.  Spring is the hardest time to get great results from chemical.  The nights are cold, its usually very windy, and the plants that are growing are under a large amount of stress.  But something that often gets missed is the quality of the spray water.  Glyphosate is one if the strongest chelators there is.  This is to say that is bonds very quickly and strongly to molecules such as mmagnesium, calcuim, and sodium just to mention a few.  If you have water with a hardness score of over 300 ppm, it could be affecting your glyphosate efficacy.  There are many good products that are not costly to add to your tank mix to avoid the tie up of your glyphosate.  We have water test kits in our office that you can take home and check your water in less than 2 minutes for hardness.  Stop by or give a call if you have more questions!

Webb's Crop Services seed pick up day! APRIL 12th.  Come by and pick up your seed for a chance to win one of two ipads!!! Lunch will also be provided.  If you cannot make it for the actuall day, but still come and pick up your seed this week or next, you will still be entered into the draw! Hope to see you here!

The Grower Central portion of the website is almost up and running! This allows you to look up your Webb's Crop Services account details from your smart phone or home computer.  You can see what you have prepayed, outstanding balances, what product has been picked up along with many other features. To get your account set up please contact the office first so we can activate your account and give you a password.  Its a simple as that!! Looking forward to hearing from you!

Webb's Crop Services is in need of Class 3 Tandem Truck Dry Fertilizer Drivers. If you know of any semi retired drivers out there that would be willing to work a split shift with someone please send them our way!. 

Looks like the Viterra deal is done at C$16.25/sh

-          Deal has unanimous approval of Viterra’s board (VT-T, unrated)

-          Agrium and Richardson Itn’l will acquire the majority of VT’s Canadian assets and some other assets for ~C$2.6bn in cash

o   Agrium will acquire Vt’s agri-product assets (i.e. ~90% of its Canadian retail outlets plus some Aussie retail outlets) and will pay C$1.15bn – AGU sees the transaction adding immediately to earnings upon completion.  AGU will also acquire the minority stake in the Medicine Hat based nitrogen facility that is majority owned by CF industries (there was some concern that this could create some anti-trust issues). 

o   VT’s Agri-products division generated ~$2.4bn in revenue and $244 mm in EBITDA in 2011. 

-          Glencore get’s VT’s Australian assets

The Cole's Notes on seed test results so far for 2012

The Cole's Notes on seed test results so far for 2012. Peas are coming back with lots of "hard seed" which is to say that the seed coat is impermeable to water, and therefore will not germinate. Suggested early seed test be done and strongly considered! If high numbers of hard seed, then an increased seeding rate may not be a fix this year. They are also seeding it in Lentils but they tend to be less of a concern for our direct area at this time. Cereals. The good news is that the fungal screens so far are coming back significantly lower this year compared to last. This is a surprise considering all the disease we had in the field this year. But on the flip side of that, this year was probably the first year that there was a significant amount of acres sprayed with Fungicide. This is to say that by the looks of it in the lab, you're fungicide app in 2011 paid off on more than just increased yield! It has increase the overall quality of seed by a lot! The bad news on cereals is that there is an increase in chemical damage due to desiccating too early. Something to pay attention to for next year. Take a look at this time laps video on seed treatment! Pretty big difference, especially when you think about the temperature of the soil at seeding time http://www.bayercropscience.ca/products/seed-treatments/raxil/itreat/