Issues of the week

Seeding is progressing well in southern Alberta and southwest Saskatchewan. Across the rest of the Prairies, warm temperatures accelerated the snow melt and many growers anticipate seeding a few days earlier than they expected at this time last week. “Toques to sunburns in 3 days,” was one comment on the rapid turnaround.

The decision for growers is whether to seed first or spray first, given the clear yield benefits to doing both of them early. The balance probably tips to seeding first as long as field and weather conditions allow for an early in-crop herbicide application. However, it comes down to field scouting. Some fields should be sprayed first if winter annual and perennial weeds are growing fast and presenting a serious risk to yield potential. On windy days, the decision to seed or spray is often made for you.

Seeding canola any time in May still provides good yield potential, so it may be premature to take measures to hasten maturity.