Beyond The Yield Podcast

With high fertilizer prices, ongoing drought, and potential for nitrogen carryover from the 2021 season, it is important we assess nitrogen is available in the soil for the 2022 growing season. Dr. Don Flaten (Retired University of Manitoba professor) and John Heard (Soil fertility specialist with the Government of Manitoba) provide insight into how mineralization and immobilization play a role in your nitrogen fertility plan. Hint: your expected nitrogen release value may not be as reliable as you think!

On this episode of The Growing Point Podcast, I speak with Dr. Martin Entz, a professor at the University of Manitoba. Entz describes tillage as it relates to soil health and crop production in western Canada. We discuss how much tillage is too much tillage, the types of tillage and their impacts on soil, and how producers can think about tillage. We also discuss the relationship between tillage, plant diversity, soil health.

In this episode we chat with Jennifer Otani (AAFC Beaverlodge) regarding wheat midge on the prairies and in the peace region. We chat about the wheat midge life cycle, damage, and mechanisms tools for producers. We also delve into the complex relationship that wheat midge has with Macroglenes penetrans, a beneficial wasp that parasitizes wheat midge, and how farming practices in crops like canola impact its ability to reduce wheat midge populations. The links that Jennifer mentions:

http://insectpestmanagement.blogspot.com/2021/06/talking-about-wheat-midge-and-its.html?m=1

https://prairiepest.ca/

We chat with Dr. Kate Congreves (Assistant Prof at the University of Saskatchewan) regarding some exciting work she is currently conducting. Partially funded by the Alberta Wheat Commission(AWC) to conduct this research, Congeves is working with breeders to investigate Nitrogen Use Efficiency (NUE) in spring wheat cultivars. Understanding which Canadian wheat varieties have higher NUE can increase the value a producer receives from each unit of nitrogen. This is because varieties with higher NUE are able to produce each unit of yield on less nitrogen. This research has many impacts for producers of spring wheat in western Canada including future access to more nitrogen efficient varieties as well as a better understanding of what currently available varieties display higher NUE.

In this episode, we chat with Dr. Breanne Tidemann about why weeds are jerks. We chat about the current state of weed resistance in Western Canada, how we got here, and what it means for farmers' pockets. We also chat about what weed resistance looks like in a field, how it develops in a plant, and what producers can do to mitigate resistance. Check out the Resistant Wild Oat Action Committee website here, https://weedscience.ca/wild-oat-action-committee/ and follow them on Twitter @RWildOat. (https://twitter.com/RWildOat)

In this episode, we speak with Dr. Sheri Strydhorst (Agronomy Research Specialist - Alberta Wheat and Barley Commissions) about plant growth regulators (PGRs). Over the past couple of years, the PGRs available for use in Western Canada have changed. Producers now have multiple options to select from. Luckily, research conducted in Canada, as well as internationally, provides a strong indication of which product may be best for barley. For more information, follow this link (link referenced by Dr. Sheri Strydhorst within the podcast): https://bit.ly/33tvdCU

In this podcast, we chat with Dr. Brian Beres regarding his current research on closing yield gaps in Western Canada. Part of his research involves capturing management information from producers through a survey. We discuss the survey and research value to western Canadian producers and how it will impact producers goal of closing yield gaps in the future.

 

To learn more about this survey click here: https://albertawheat.com/media/the-growing-point/february-2021/yield-gap

In this episode of The Growing Point Podcast we chat with Dr. Michael Harding (Pathologist with Alberta Agriculture & Forestry) about bacterial disease in western Canada. Harding breaks down the life cycle, various forms, impacts, management tactics, and environmental conditions conducive for bacterial blights to be of concern. For more information or if you suspect you may be dealing with bacterial blight, feel free to reach out to Dr. Harding at Michael.Harding@gov.ab.ca.

In this episode of The Growing Point Podcast we chat with Laurel Thompson, a crop researcher at Lakeland College in Alberta, about her recent malt barley projects. The first project looks at the economics of producing malt barley varieties for feed end use. The second project investigated the effects of Moddus, a gibberellin inhibitor PGR, on malt barley varieties. These projects provide very practical and beneficial information for producers who produce malt or are malt curious. 

Continuation of the conversation with Dr. Hugh Beckie. Loss of glyphosate as a tool in our toolbox is a growing concern. Countries around the globe are already planning on removing the product from use. In this podcast, I chat with Dr. Beckie about his recent research paper which outlines potential impacts that would come with the loss of glyphosate as well what can be done to maintain soil moisture conservation and weed control if this valuable tool is lost.