Fusarium

[RTK]

Freewheat - I honestly think there is a lot of merit in what you are saying. I fairly intensely look after my crops but I am always trying to manage expenses. I am glad you put your theory out there - I remember midge out breaks in the past; the under belly of the planes were orange now guys find one or two on a pie plate and we spray killing everything good or bad in the field. Fungicides - in my part of the province it was never heard of now it is common practise - granted we are wet, perhaps too wet. With canola this year I decided to target my fields better and tested several locations for sclerotinia. In the end if the test results are accurate I will have saved 30% on that fungicide bill; if I am wrong it will cost me dearly. When I was a smaller operation I was more field by field now I am stretched too thin and blanket applications are happening and this is needlessly eating into what could be profit. If I can operate at this size on a field by field management I think I can better position my farm for the future. My wife who is a plant science major has been telling me to scout and think before I spray - my reply is I had a quick look. She actually scouted a few fields for me and saved me $3-4/ac on the those acres by steering me to a different herbicide. I wish she had time to act as my agrologist full time. But with kids and her job just not possible right now.

[grassfarmer]

I told my Dad today that we are going to need some help from Mother Nature with the fusarium.

Why would Mother Nature want to help you out? I think the loopy ones are the folks that don't realise that almost all their problems come because you are fighting mother nature in a battle you can't win. Everything in nature needs diversity to ensure survival. You want flat square fields with no trees, bushes, cattails or water bodies to grow mono-culture crops with not a plant or weed of another species allowed to grow in "your crop."
The complexity of diversity is astounding if you let it flourish - plants that bring benefits to fellow plants, weeds or plants that attract beneficial insects that can control some of your "problem" aphids etc. A healthy insect population ensures plenty of feed for small birds but small birds don't like wide open spaces with no trees - it's all interconnected. Any time you are applying poison you can be sure you are simplifying the community by reducing the species and ensuring you will have further (and bigger) problems down the road because you are upsetting the balance of nature.
No different in my world - would be dandy to have all the cows calve in a 3 week cycle, have a uniform calf crop for shape and size. Nature doesn't work that way, nor do genetics - everything is done to ensure survival of species and survival of diversity. Freewheat is on to something and he obviously has lots of diversity - the landscape and bush, the wildlife he has, the diverse livestock on his farm. I think he is an astute observer of nature and that lets him see outside the box most in commodity agriculture are trapped in.

[farmaholic]

One day I hope your calving season is plaqued with cold and wet pneumonia and scour prone weather and then you may realize a little help from Mother Nature would sure be appreciated. although I think you already realize it but since you seem to dislike what you like to call monoculture agriculture, seems you don't like it when we realize a little help from Mother Nature would go a long way for us too!!!!

We are all at Her mercy, realizing it is accepting the fact.

Good luck(there will be a day you need it) and happy ranching.

[Rareearth]

Actually when it comes to Mother Nature, bio diversity, etc its dog eat dog survival of the fittest.

Our farm and most others won't survive if we have to wait for plagues, and then bio diversity to solve natures challenges.

[biglentil]

For only 6 bushel an acre grab some prosaro and hope to hell it does something for the fus.

[biglentil]

For only 6 bushel an acre grab some prosaro and hope to hell it does something for the fus.

It 2014 from my observations prosaro had zero effect on fus.

[foragefarmer]

With the amount money spent to get a crop in the ground, and the wet weather this year, in the MAJORITY of the prairies how can a farmer risk, not applying fungicides. We spray every year and never have had a problem with fusarium, the one year we don't and that's when it will hit us hard.

The spores that that cause fusarium live in the soil, the proper weather conditions activate them, you done spray and your crop is worthless.

Freewheat if you think fungicides are harmful, then what do you think about glyphosate, or have you ever used it?