Tallying Up the Risk Factors for Sclerotinia Pressure

Jul 11, 2014

There are few things as lovely on the Canadian Prairies as a blooming field of canola Yes, canola’s yellow flowers sure are pretty, but did you know they’re also food? For the sclerotinia pathogen, that is.

That means that as the canola crop comes into flower, it’s time to assess the threat of sclerotinia to the crop. Sclerotinia can cause significant yield loss, especially if the lower parts of the stem are damaged by the disease.

In this Canola School episode, Shawn Senko, Saskatoon-area agronomist with the Canola Council of Canada, tallies up the risk factors that go in to assessing whether or not to spray a fungicide, how to estimate percent bloom, and how farmers with variable fields may save on fungicide costs.
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Source: Alberta Canola Producers Commission

Video: A chain harrow is a game changer

Utilizing a rotational grazing method on our farmstead with our sheep helps to let the pasture/paddocks rest. We also just invested in a chain harrow to allow us to drag the paddocks our sheep just left to break up and spread their manure around, dethatch thicker grass areas, and to rough up bare dirt areas to all for a better seed to soil contact if we overseed that paddock. This was our first time really using the chain harrow besides initially testing it out. We are very impressed with the work it did and how and area that was majority dirt, could be roughed up before reseeding.

Did you know we also operate a small business on the homestead. We make homemade, handcrafted soaps, shampoo bars, hair and beard products in addition to offering our pasture raised pork, lamb, and 100% raw honey. You can find out more about our products and ingredients by visiting our website at www.mimiandpoppysplace.com. There you can shop our products and sign up for our monthly newsletter that highlights a soap or ingredient, gives monthly updates about the homestead, and also lists the markets, festivals, and events we’ll be attending that month.