DynAgra is currently looking for seasonal help through all of our locations and we’re bringing the DynAgra cruiser to various career fairs looking for eager people looking to be part of something big… Helping to feed and fuel our growing population on 7 billion people. If you’re interested in working with a company that admires innovation, embraces knowledge and is dedicated to our communities send your resume to jpeeke@dynagra.com.

From Agri-News

Insect forecasts maps were posted to Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development’s site after the Agronomy Update which was held in Red Deer on January 17 and 18, 2012.

“The past year was a relatively quiet one on the insect front; however, things never stay the same in the insect world and 2012 has the potential to provide challenges in several areas,” says Scott Meers, provincial pest management specialist with Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development. “Annual surveys are carried out for seven insects, the pests that historically pose problems in one part of the province or another.”

Bertha Armyworm – 146 sites were monitored, the largest survey completed on this insect to date. Findings include a larger moth catch than the previous year. An elevated count was experienced in the Fort Vermillion area. An elevated risk in the Two Hills areas, as well as in Vulcan and Strathmore area. There was limited need for control operations in 2012.
Alberta has been in the low end of the life cycle of this pest for the last few years, but appears to be on the increase. It is advisable for farmers to watch the maps and stay updated as the coming growing season progresses.

Diamondback Moth – this pest migrates up from the southern U.S. each year, so it’s difficult to predict. The insect makes up to three complete life cycles in Alberta each year. The monitoring indicates the number that show-up early in the season and from there, predictions on how severe the potential problems could be. There is usually only about two to three weeks advance warning for this pest, due to its lifecycle patterns.

Cabbage Seedpod Weevil – there were quite low populations in 2011, largely because of the poor spring conditions. Typically the earlier flowering fields of canola will be the ones that will need to be watched and likely sprayed for control. This insect hasn’t moved into central Alberta; however, it will be watched it closely. There is no reason to expect that the low numbers in southern Alberta will repeat in the coming growing season so careful monitoring and attention will be required in the traditional problem areas. A lot of research information is drawn from the sweeps that are done as part of this insect survey.

Wheat Stem Sawfly – there are no issues with this pest north of Hwy 1, and overall we are at the lowest population numbers of this pest and have been for a few years. There are a couple of hotspots: one just west of Brooks and southeast of Taber to the Foremost area.

Wheat Midge – has been a big issue in Alberta as it keeps finding new areas to infest. In 2011, it was confirmed in the Peace for the first time. This survey consists of 285 soil samples from 59 counties across the province, and these samples have to be individually washed. For this insect to be a problem, the wheat midge emergence and wheat stage have to line up. The wheat is susceptible from as soon as the head is visible up until anthesis, when the anthers show up. If wheat is put in early and anthesis happens before the midge emerges, there is very little midge damage. The biggest problem areas are in southwestern Alberta but there are also individual problem fields throughout central Alberta.

Pea Leaf Weevil – the amount of damage is surveyed in late May and early June. This is less a forecast than just a relay of the survey results. Vulcan area, typically showing the highest levels, has shown decline in populations, while the Wheatland area is showing the highest levels they have ever recorded. There are still fairly high populations in the Lethbridge to Medicine Hat area, but not as high as in years past. Those who were fighting this pest in 2011 will need to continue in this coming year. Seed treatment for this pest is the best preventative measure producers can take.

Grasshoppers – last year, there were over 1600 survey sites across the province. The Peace has some pockets of higher populations. South and central Alberta show quite low populations, and the risk in north central Alberta are variable. Grasshopper populations follow the weather, so depending on the spring temperatures and precipitation, producers will see populations accordingly.

In 2011, surveys were also carried out on the western bean cutworm, an insect that attacks beans and corn. The interest with this insect pest is tolerant of BT corn, and has been making inroads, but has not yet been detected in Alberta.

To view the survey and forecast maps, visit the Alberta Insect Pest Monitoring Network homepage at www.agriculture.alberta.ca/bugs-pest

DynAgra is at the Olds Career Fair on January 31st and the University of Edmonton Career Fair on February 2. Come check us out and see how you can become part of something big.

Agronomically Everest 2.0 provides 4 key benefits over it competition:

1. Flush after Flush Control -2 week residual wildoat control) and Group 1 Resistance

2. Unsurpassed Crop Safety- 2.0 contains a new safener in 2012

3. Convenience-Complete application and tank mix flexibility

4. Low Volume Liquid formulation- 2 Litre jugs provides easier handling and less shed space

Smart Boys treat 800-1000 acres and is the equivalent to 10 Everest 2.0 Jugs. Call your DynAgra BDS today to book yours!

S

From Agri-News

Weed resistance has been an issue in crop production for many years. Wild oats and a few other weeds have developed resistance to popular herbicides. Most producers are aware of this issue, but there are always herbicide alternatives being developed.

“Resistance to glyphosate, a chemical commonly known as RoundUp® is found in other parts of the world and in Canada,” says Harry Brook, crop specialist with Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development. “Alberta now has its first case of glyphosate resistance. It has been confirmed that there is glyphosate resistant kochia in southern Alberta. This should serve as a wake-up call to producers to use different herbicide groups when treating problem weeds. Failure to take this problem seriously will result in the loss of effectiveness of our most popular weed control products.”

Continually using the same herbicide or products from the same herbicide group, actually results in selecting for those plants that are either not affected or affected less by the active ingredient than other plants. By killing off susceptible plants, you set the stage for the resistant ones to thrive as all their competition is killed off.

“Herbicides that have one specific mode of action are most likely to lead to resistant weeds,” says Brook. “However, the most common reason for having resistance show up is due to repeated use of the same chemical. Glyphosate falls into this category.

“Over the last 20 years, the price of glyphosate has dropped to the point where it is relatively cheap. The move to conservation tillage and zero tillage relies heavily on using herbicides to control volunteer and early germinating weeds. Herbicide tolerant crops further encourage glyphosate use to the point where a piece of land could have three to four applications of glyphosate in a growing season. Short crop rotations and a lack of crop variety have set up the situation for herbicide resistance to show up in weeds. This has lead to glyphosate resistant kochia being found in Southern Alberta.”

Keep in mind that pesticide companies are having greater difficulty finding new products or modes of action that work as herbicides. The supply of new products to control problem weeds is not unending, and miracle cures rarely happen. Herbicide companies know about resistance, and they have partially dealt with the issue by combining different herbicides from different groups into one product. A lot of the “new” herbicides are only co-packs or premixed formulations of existing products.

“Combining products helps somewhat, but it does not address the real issue of specific herbicide overuse,” says Brook. “It may extend the life of a herbicide where resistance is developing, but it doesn’t solve the problem. There are also weeds that develop multiple resistance to a wide variety of herbicide groups and modes, the superweed.

“For example, group 1 and group 2 herbicides have been used extensively over the last two decades for wild oat control. Now, many producers are finding that they have resistance issues in their wild oats. In Manitoba, there are fields with wild oats resistant to three or four different herbicide groups. We are running out of herbicide options for wild oat control.”

This resistant kochia is Alberta’s first case of glyphosate resistance and the third weed with glyphosate resistance in Canada. It is evident that the way pesticides are used must change and the issue of resistance must be taken more seriously or producers will run the risk of losing some of their most useful tools for weed control.

“Pay attention. Watch your fields. Use a good crop and herbicide group rotation to keep this problem at bay,” adds Brook.

Contact the Ag-Info Centre or your local agronomist for more information.

Dow AgroSciences Win a Tandem Truck Contest wraps up on January 31st. Thus far there have been some interesting entries…

Not Dead Dodge

Sam Co