University of Göttingen – Protecting crops against pests and diseases is essential to ensure a secure food supply. Around 95 percent of food comes from conventional agriculture, which uses chemical pesticides to keep crops healthy. Increasingly, however, organic pesticides are also being sought as an alternative. Some organic pesticides contain live spores of the fungus […]
American Society of Agronomy – Farmers around the world are keen to protect their most important asset: their soil. The soil supports and enriches their crops. But the relatively thin layer of topsoil can readily wash away into streams, carrying unwanted nutrients with it. Enter cover crops. Cover crops are inedible plants grown during the […]
University of Queensland – Biological control of insect pests – where ‘natural enemies’ keep pests at bay – is saving farmers in Asia and the Pacific billions of dollars, according to University of Queensland-led research. Dr Kris Wyckhuys from UQ’s School of Biological Sciences said biological control involved the careful release of an exotic natural […]
By Dave Bedard Glacier FarmMedia staff A Quebec vegetable grower will be spotted over $625,000 toward what’s billed as a first-in-Canada plan to grow organic radishes year-round. Federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau on Aug. 13 announced $625,419 in repayable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (CAP) funding through the AgriInnovate program for Les Jardins A. Guerin et Fils, […]
Penn State – To judge the overall effectiveness of cover crops and choose those offering the most ecosystem services, agricultural scientists must consider the plants’ roots as well as above-ground biomass, according to Penn State researchers who tested the characteristics of cover crop roots in three monocultures and one mixture. “Almost everything that we know […]
By Matt McIntosh Glacier FarmMedia – Did your fields show a lot of crusting this planting season? Was there standing water where there shouldn’t be? These and other indicators, say provincial soil health experts, mean your soil organic matter (SOM) levels could use some attention. Crusting is normal – but should it be? “Crusting is […]
By Dave Bedard Glacier FarmMedia staff The latest round of revisions for the Canadian Organic Standards has passed a key vote on its way to becoming federal regulation. Members of the Canadian General Standards Board’s (CGSB) technical committee on organic agriculture voted unanimously last month to approve the draft of the Canadian Organic Standards submitted […]
American Society of Agronomy – In some ways, farming is like cooking. Cooking would be much easier if we could leave the kitchen after eating and not come back until we make the next meal. But someone needs to put away the leftovers, do the dishes, and clean up the table. Similarly, there’s work to […]
By Robert Arnason Glacier FarmMedia staff Crop yields depend upon a long list of factors. Producers control some of those factors and Mother Nature controls the rest. For years, organic farmers in Western Canada didn’t worry a whole lot about yield and the agronomics within their control. But that low-key, low-input approach is fading away. […]
By Alexis Stockford Glacier FarmMedia staff Organic farmers are gearing up for a more complicated start to the growing season after missing much of their field work last fall. Last year’s “harvest from hell” is still sending shocks through Manitoba operations, with wet weather leaving many farmers with unharvested acres and incomplete fertilizer applications. For […]
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