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Dry conditions limit herbicide power

After a rapid planting season, farmers were happy to get an early start on spraying. Rains helped early applications, but other farmers were not so lucky.

Eric Wilson, agronomy manager with Wyffels Hybrids, said there were many farmers with lots of replant to do after hail came through central Iowa in early May. But with a dry forecast for early June, it may be more difficult to get those activating rains for herbicide.

“It’s been a tale of two worlds,” he said. “Some places just got absolutely pounded with rains, but we’ve been dry too. The question of ‘if we got activation’ is a tough one to answer broadly.”

In a year when speed has been the theme to planting, supply hasn’t been much of a problem for farmers, whether it’s herbicide or post-plant fertilizer.

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Why Invest in Canada’s Seed Future? | On The Brink: Episode 3

Video: Why Invest in Canada’s Seed Future? | On The Brink: Episode 3

Darcy Unger just invested millions to build a brand-new seed plant on his farm in Stonewall, Manitoba so when it’s time for his sons to take over, they have the tools they need to succeed.

Right now, 95% of the genetics they’ll be growing come from Canadian plant breeders.

That number matters.

When fusarium hit Western Canada in the late 90s, it was Canadian breeders who responded, because they understood Canadian conditions. That ability to react quickly to what’s happening on Canadian farms is exactly what’s at risk when breeding programs lose funding.

For farmers like Darcy, who have made generational investments based on the assumption that better genetics will keep coming, the stakes are direct and personal.

We’re on the brink of decisions that will shape our agricultural future for not only our generation, but also the ones to come.

What direction will we choose?

On The Brink is a year-long video series traveling across Canada to meet the researchers, breeders, farmers, seed companies, and policymakers shaping the future of Canadian plant breeding. Each week, a new story. Each story, a piece of the bigger picture.

Episode 3 is above. Follow Seed World Canada to catch every episode, and tell us: Do you think the next generation will have the tools they need to success when they takeover? How is the future going to look?