Soybean producers in Manitoba have a lot to think about, following a day long workshop in Portage la Prairie on January 30. The event was organized by the Manitoba Pulse Growers Association, and was titled 'Getting It Right'. Executive Director Francois Labelle explains the workshop was similar to an event held in North Dakota.
"It was an opportunity to duplicate a seminar that's held by the North Dakota Soybean Council, and they brought up three of their speakers from North Dakota State University. They brought them up here for the conference andbrought a lot of pertinent information that they're working on in North Dakota that is very similar to our production practices here in Manitoba."
He adds there are growers that have been producing soybeans for more than a decade in Manitoba, but North Dakota has a much longer history with the crop.
"We can learn from what North Dakota has, and we can learn from some of the problems that have developed in North Dakota. On the other side, in Manitoba, we have some growers who have only grown them for a few years. These growers are still early in their cycle and they've got a lot to learn from these seminars. We all sat here and learned something today."
Robert Gulden was the final speaker of the day. He's the associate professor of plant science at the University of Manitoba. He touched on a number or issues related to weed maintenance for soybean producers. One of his final messages was that producers could begin to see new species of weeds in their fields, as soybean crops become more common in the province.
"When you're starting to grow southern crops you should expect to see more southern weeds. Some of those are in the province already, others are in North Dakota and will be coming north through the Red River Valley, for sure. We expect that to happen so we need to keep an eye on those species shift, and new species that jump from ditches into fields."
One of those weeds causing concern is giant ragweed. The glyphosate resistant weed is already present in some Manitoban ditches, but could make the jump to fields as soybean crops become more prevalent.