Growing soybeans issue 18 20180320mt 3 by Thoughtwell Creative

For Western Canadian Soybean Growers

Issue 18 / Fall 2017

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www.northstargenetics.com © NorthStar Genetics 2017 Monsanto Company is a member of Excellence Through Stewardship® (ETS). Monsanto products are commercialized in accordance with ETS Product Launch Stewardship Guidance, and in compliance with Monsanto’s Policy for Commercialization of Biotechnology-Derived Plant Products in Commodity Crops. These products have been approved for import into key export markets with functioning regulatory systems. Any crop or material produced from these products can only be exported to, or used, processed or sold in countries where all necessary regulatory approvals have been granted. It is a violation of national and international law to move material containing biotech traits across boundaries into nations where import is not permitted. Growers should talk to their grain handler or product purchaser to con rm their buying position for these products. Excellence Through Stewardship® is a registered trademark of Excellence Through Stewardship. ALWAYS READ AND FOLLOW PESTICIDE LABEL DIRECTIONS. Roundup Ready 2 Xtend® soybeans contain genes that confer tolerance to glyphosate and dicamba. Agricultural herbicides containing glyphosate will kill crops that are not tolerant to glyphosate, and those containing dicamba will kill crops that are not tolerant to dicamba. Contact your Monsanto dealer or call the Monsanto technical support line at 1-800-667-4944 for recommended Roundup Ready® Xtend Crop System weed control programs. Roundup Ready 2 Xtend® and Roundup Ready® are registered trademarks of Monsanto Technology LLC, Monsanto Canada Inc. licensee. ©2017 Monsanto Canada Inc.

Table of Contents Publisher Ray Wytinck NorthStar Genetics

Letter From the Editor pg 5

Editor Jenny Flaman jenny@impactgr.com

Marketing Soybeans This Fall pg 6

Art Director Kate Klassen kate@impactgr.com Copy Editors Heidi Brown Cheryl Manness Stacey Sitter Contributors Bruce Barker John Dietz Teresa Falk Ron Friesen Geoff Geddes Shari Narine Photographer Anita Anseeuw

The Great Soybean Jump pg 9 The 2017 Soybean Planting Experience pg 12 Roundup Ready 2 Xtend® in 2017 pg 14 The Earliest Maturing Soybean Varieties From NorthStar Genetics pg 18 Recipe for Soybean Success: Just Add Water (and Phosphorus, and Potassium, and Sulphur)

pg 20

More Nitrogen Anyone? What’s New In Nodulation? pg 22 Printed by CBN Commercial Solutions For another copy of Growing Soybeans call 204-262-2425 or e-mail cperfumo@northstargenetics.com For a digital copy visit northstargenetics.com

Are Farmers Going Back to Aerial Application? pg 25 Will Corn Follow Soybeans into Western Canada? pg 29 New Trait Makes Corn More Suitable for the Prairies pg 32

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Letter From the Editor

t had been said that soybean production will jump to an all-time high in Western Canada this year, and we’re so pleased that the prediction seems to have been correct. With soybean seed sales up about 25 percent from 2016, and the seeding season having gone well, for the most part – against what was seeming like many odds, from an unfinished harvest to a wet spring – this has definitely been a great year for soybeans (keeping in mind this was written in June 2017). From the earlier varieties available to the good position in the market to the lower input costs, soybeans are rising in the hearts and minds of Western Canadian growers, and in this issue, we have information on everything you might need to keep them there and have great success. Also, in this issue, we have a lot to say about corn. Corn is quickly taking the position that soybeans did some years ago, where farmers were wary, but willing to try them out. Like with soybeans, new early

varieties are helping to get corn going and making it a possibility in more areas. NorthStar Genetics even has a corn variety available for the 2018 season that is early maturing enough to be planted in Saskatchewan (read more about it on page 34). New technology is bringing so many new opportunities to Western Canadian farmers that the possibilities are seemingly endless. In this issue, we touch on a few of those things including new traits and varieties, spraying techniques that may be becoming new again, and nutrition. We’ve also taken a look at the soybean market and how this influx of soybeans grown in 2017 might affect it. For all of you growers out there still on the fence about growing soybeans, help us make another jump in 2018 to bring soybeans to a whole new level in Western Canada. But for now, take some time to enjoy our 18th issue of Growing Soybeans.

5 5

Marketing Soybeans This Fall By Bruce Barker Supply, demand, and managing the unknown.

n September, the soybean market will be fairly clear for Prairie soybean growers with a good understanding of how the U.S. and Canadian soybean crops are looking. So, what should Prairie soybean growers be looking at as they move to harvest and market their crop through the fall and winter months?

Barring any unforeseen production problems over the summer, September prices will possibly be lower. However, John Duvenaud, publisher of Wild Oats Grain Marketing Advisory newsletter in Winnipeg, Manitoba, says that there are positives that may support the soybean market into the fall.

The first assumption is that growers have priced in some of their soybean crop prior to harvest. With cash prices in Manitoba above $10.00 per acre throughout the spring, marketing consultants recommended pricing in 25 percent or more of the new crop earlier this year, depending on risk tolerance.

“The main reason not to be too glum about 2017 soybean prices is that the projected American 2017 crop (4,255 M bu.) is actually smaller than the 2016 crop (4,307 M bu.). The 2016 crop was a bin-buster due to all the rain in August,” says Duvenaud. “Current (June 2017) Western Canada bids are about $10.50, old and new crop. I’d be surprised to see these levels hold but probably $9.50 will still be available this coming winter.”

“Pre-selling a portion of the crop is critical so that a grower has more flexibility in the fall marketing season. You don’t want to be in a position where you have to sell directly off the combine because traditionally there is a seasonal decrease in prices as the soybean harvest begins in North America,” says Jonathon Driedger, senior market analyst with FarmLink Marketing Solutions in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Look to production estimates

The USDA reported in June an estimation that global soybean production for 2017/18 would be 348.04 million metric tonnes. Last year, global soybean production was estimated at 313.05 million tons. This year’s 348.04 estimated million tons could represent an increase of 34.99 million tons or an 11.18 percent in soybean production around the globe.

United States growers planted record acreage of soybeans in 2017. As the harvest comes off in September and October, final production numbers will start to emerge. Likely, these production estimates have been priced into the market over the summer.

It’s June and U.S. soybean supply and use projections for 2017/18 show little change from May. Soybean ending stocks for 2016/17 were projected at 450 million bushels, up 15 million from last month. Ending stocks for 2017/18 are also raised 15 million bushels to 495 million. Where these

projections end up will depend on growing conditions in the U.S. over the summer. Driedger says that the big factor in soybean production in the U.S. is August growing conditions. Given normal August weather, market prices for the fall should be fairly evident by September. “Typically, prices come under pressure in September and October, but there can be small market rallies through the winter as supply and demand become clearer.” The next supply factor to look for is South American soybean planting and growing conditions. In September, early soybean planting begins in the Mato Grosso and central regions of Brazil. In October and November, soybean planting is in full swing. The crop progresses throughout December with harvest occurring in the first quarter of the New Year. In June 2017, the USDA was predicting that beginning stocks combined with a 0.5-million-ton reduction to Argentina soybean exports in 2017/18 would result in a 3.4-million-ton increase to 92.2 million to global soybean stocks at the end of the 2017/18 marketing year. How that plays out is weather dependent, both in the U.S. and in South America. “If market prices in September are lower, that may impact South American soybean planting. Seeded acreage and growing conditions in South America

will have an impact on prices,” says Driedger. “In the fall, growers should be looking at these factors to see if there may be opportunities for higher prices further out.”

Chinese demand China purchases two-thirds of global exports. China typically purchases from North America throughout the

Brazilian currency dropped 8 percent and led to one of the largest selling days in Brazil over the last few years.

fall and early winter months, and then shifts purchases to South America when its crop starts to come off in late winter. China’s soybean imports have grown for 13 years in a row and the USDA expects them to hit 87 million tonnes in the year ending Sept. 1. The next-biggest importer is the European Union – at around 13.80 million tonnes in the 2016/17 crop year.

“Currency has a huge impact on prices. Political events are impossible to predict, but are frequent enough that market disruptions can pop up,” says Driedger. “The best a grower can do is to be in a position to take advantage of, or minimize, the impact on prices by having a marketing plan and staying informed.”

“The saving grace is Chinese demand. Chinese imports have tripled over the past ten years and don’t seem to be easing off,” says Duvenaud.

Given that most market decisions are based on what is known today and a fuzzy crystal ball for supply and demand projections in the future, staying on top of global markets is important for maximizing market returns. But looking locally is where it pays off.

Unknowns Pulling supply and demand information together in the fall and early winter will help guide soybean growers on their market opportunities. Driedger says that unforeseeable political instabilities can impact prices in the short-term, as shown by the political upheaval in Brazil earlier this year when the

“The best indicator for a farmer is the price that the two or three local merchants are paying. There is a mountain of market price information out there but local prices are the only thing that really matters to a farmer,” says Duvenaud.

Top 10 Soybean Producing Countries (Metric Tonnes)

United States

115,802,000

Brazil

107,000,000

Argentina China India

57,000,000 13,800,000 11,500,000

Paraguay

9,400,000

Canada

8,400,000

Ukraine

4,600,000

Russia

3,300,000

Uruguay

3,000,000

Source: GlobalSoybeanProduction.com

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The Great Soybean Jump By John Dietz

From early 2017, it was expected that soybeans would be a popular crop for the season. Why?

arly in 2017, it was expected that soybean would be a popular crop in Manitoba. That has proven to be true. As of June 1, soybean seed sales in Manitoba were up about 25 percent or more over 2016, according to one industry source.

On June 5, Stats Canada was projecting 2,200,000 acres of soybeans in Manitoba as compared to 1,600,000 acres just a year earlier. That increase, if accurate, would be more than 35 percent. The Stats Can projected increase for Saskatchewan was even heftier, suggesting farmers there might put in three times as many soybeans as in 2016 – or about 730,000 acres. It could be said that soybean acres are “jumping” on the eastern Prairies. Why? Growing Soybeans asked Manitoba Pulse and Soybean Growers association extension coordinator, Laura Schmidt, for her thoughts on the expansion. “One reason we’ve been able to have such a large expansion of soybean acreage is the development of early-maturing, high-yielding varieties that can deal with Manitoba’s relatively short growing season.” Schmidt says. Back 20 years ago, soybeans were a small, experimental crop on a few farms in the Red River Valley. Nobody had experience with them. They were sensitive to late spring frosts. They took too long to mature. There were questions about inoculant, quality, storage, and marketing. The first official record of soybeans in Manitoba is from 2001, with 50,000 seed acres recorded by Stats Canada. Plantings jumped to 130,000 acres the following year, then stayed in the 100,000- to 350,000-acre range for seven years. Production expanded quickly in the southeast – to a place of near-saturation. Now, soybeans are becoming mainstream in western and northwest Manitoba, as well as eastern Saskatchewan. The oilseed hit a half-million seeded acres in 2010, and a million in 2013. That same year was the first time that Saskatchewan kept an official record for soybean acres. It began with 170,000 acres in 2013. 9 9

This crop year, the big oilseed that migrated out of the American Midwest is being grown close to the northern limits of farming on the eastern Prairies. In Manitoba’s northwest region, fields with shortseason soybeans are pretty common close to Dauphin and even found at Swan River. Along the drier southwestern edge of Manitoba, the soybean has spilled over into even drier areas of southeastern Saskatchewan. In short, for adaptation, soybean has

grow the once-unfamiliar crop. Some of the benefits being discovered are that beans require fewer inputs and enable the grower to clean up weeds.

They mature earlier but also yield quite competitively. That has really benefitted growers and encouraged them to grow soybeans on their farms.

“Research has been conducted to validate and improve the recommendations that we tell our farmers. We now have recommendations for our specific growing regions, to help with the adoption and implementation of growing soybeans,” she says.

“In addition, they are improving other characteristics. For instance, in wetter areas of the province, growers have better choices for resistance to root rot. It allows them to select varieties that are able to mature in their growing zone and, at the same time, allows them to select varieties that are more suited to their fields.”

“We’ve developed a variety selection guide to assist growers, outlining the

“Soybean prices have been able to stay high despite increasing supply. The market dipped a few years ago, but prices have been relatively good for a long time.” rapidly out-distanced the former bean fields where it once grew and now is competitive with Prairie cereals and oilseeds. In effect, the soybean is border-to-border throughout Manitoba and competing for field space with canola and wheat. And unlike cereals, soybean varieties are available with genetic resistance to non-selective herbicides. Glyphosateresistant soybeans were first grown in Canada in Ontario in 1997. New traits have been stacked since then. Today’s growers can choose non-GMO varieties or they can go to Roundup Ready 2® or Roundup Ready 2 Xtend® varieties. The newest lines tolerate a mix of glyphosate and dicamba, which withers virtually anything else growing in the same field.

Better agronomics Soybean acreage has been climbing quickly, Schmidt says, and it might have to do with farmers learning to 10

different maturity zones as well as other characteristics that may be beneficial to varietal decision-making,” she says. (www.manitobapulse.ca/production/ variety-evaluation-guide/) These can include: • Zone maturity maps, including the zone frost-free period; • Varietal development guides for the production system (Genuity® Roundup Ready®, Roundup Ready 2 Xtend®, or non-GMO), days to maturity, high-yield, iron deficiency chlorosis rating, Phytophthora root rot resistance, soybean cyst nematode resistance, and lodging rating. “Further variety development to earlier maturing varieties has really expanded our acreage choices available to farmers,” Schmidt says. “These varieties go into the ground at the same time but they require a shorter window to actually come to seed, so you are able to harvest them within your growing season window.

This spring, early warm soil temperatures allowed some early planting in the south-central region. Then, a frost event occurred on May 19 in the south-central region, after some soybeans had emerged. “It wasn’t a killing frost. It was zero to minus 1.2° Celsius that morning for about five hours at Carman. Killing frost requires an extended period below minus 2.2° Celsius. If it did cause some plant mortality, the crops will most likely continue to grow,” she says.

More money Barriers to production have come down. Weed control options have improved, and more. “Although the cost of seed for soybeans is quite high, once you put your crop in the ground, your in-crop [expenses] are relatively low, and you can get away with reduced nitrogen. Guys are saving quite a bit of money with the inputs for the crop,” Schmidt says. Finally, despite the growing acreage and increasing supply of soybeans from Manitoba growers, the market signals have stayed positive. “Demand has been growing, as well as acreage. Soybean prices have been able to stay high despite increasing supply. The market dipped a few years ago, but prices have been relatively good for a long time,” Schmidt says.

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The 2017 Soybean Planting Experience By Shari Narine

Going into the 2017 seeding season, it was anticipated that there were many challenges growers had to deal with, some stemming from the challenges of the 2016 fall. What were growers up against, and how did seeding go in Western Canada?

t turns out, there were near perfect seeding conditions in Saskatchewan and Manitoba for soybeans this spring, which saw the majority of producers completing the task by the end of May. The south and central regions of Manitoba had a bit more favourable seeding conditions than the western portion, says Cassandra Tkachuk, product specialist with Manitoba Pulse Growers. While southern and central producers got their soybean seed in by around the mid mark of May, western producers were still on track for the later part of the month. And that’s what matters, says Tkachuk, because seeding by the end of May still allows for the best yield potential. Some farmers were eager to hit the fields when the weather turned warm and dry, but Tkachuk issued some caution. “I was telling growers to wait until the other side of the frost, instead of putting soybeans in just before the frost. That way, when they’re first

imbibing water into the seed, it’s not cold water,” she says.

has provided producers with an advantage.

Once the seed is in the ground and 24 to 48 hours have passed, frost is not an issue. But once the seedling is out of the ground, frost can be a killer.

“The way it’s shaping up this year, I think the soils have warmed up quicker than normal and that would be good for soybean development in the initial stages,” says Risula.

The same dry conditions that allowed producers to start seeding earlier may have become an issue soon after, though. “It might be [an issue] if we don’t get some timely rains to get the crop off to a good start,” says Tkachuk. Dry conditions could result in slow emergence, and even potential mortality. She says she’s also heard that dry conditions coupled with strong winds were causing recently planted soybean seeds to be blown away.

The warm temperature combined with moisture from the snow is a winning combination for soybeans. The areas of the province where the soil has not warmed up quite as quickly or were the hardest hit by unharvested crop from the fall, are not areas that soybeans are grown, says Risula. Also, he notes, in some fields with crop left on, soybean producers may have used what was left to help warm up the soil.

Dale Risula, provincial specialist, special crops for Saskatchewan Agriculture believes this year is shaping up to be pretty decent.

“A lot of residue may have been burned or just worked into the soil with tillage. A lot of last year’s crop may have been done away with that way instead of being harvested,” he says.

As soybeans need warmer soil temperatures, the early warm weather

Both Tkachuk and Risula say the acreages planted in soybeans this year

marks an increase in their provinces. Tkachuk says Manitoba Pulse and Soybean Growers is predicting two million acres – an increase of 25 percent from 2016. There are a number of reasons for that increase, including growing soybeans in the west where they typically haven’t been grown. “Higher yielding, earlier maturing

varieties have been developed that have really contributed to a widespread production of soybeans,” said Tkachuk, which means they can be grown outside of the traditional Red River Valley region.

“We’re sort of in a fringe area for that. There are varieties that are being developed all the time that seem to be better and better, that maintain the yield and mature a little earlier,” he says.

The maturing rate of soybeans is still a challenge in Saskatchewan, says Risula, but that doesn’t seem to have hampered the crop’s popularity. Statistics Canada is forecasting that the acres of soybeans in Saskatchewan will almost triple, from last year’s 250,000 acres to 700,000 acres this year; however, Risula thinks it’s more realistic to expect 500,000 acres to be sown in soybean. (See more about soybean growth in Western Canada on page 9.)

Some years, it takes soybeans 110 days to mature, but a more common timeline is 120 days, which makes it late harvesting.

“Higher yielding, earlier maturing varieties have been developed that have really contributed to a widespread production of soybeans.”

But the other advantages to soybeans for Saskatchewan producers include the fact that soybeans are easy to work into the crop rotation, they don’t require specialized machinery, and, because they’re still a relatively new crop, soybeans aren’t impacted by disease or insects. Tkachuk says there is also the return on soybeans to be considered. “We’re seeing some really good prices,” she says.

Roundup Ready 2 Xtend in 2017 By John Dietz

Many farmers planted Roundup Ready 2 XtendÂŽ soybeans for the first time this year. A seed grower in Manitoba and another in Saskatchewan shared their thoughts as spraying season was about to begin.

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n mid to late May on the eastern Prairies, a few thousand fields were sown to soybeans. Some seed growers in Manitoba and Saskatchewan committed half of their soybean acres to the new dicamba-tolerant Roundup Ready 2 Xtend® soybean system. In mid June, it was time to spray weeds. The Roundup Ready 2 Xtend® soybean genetics from Monsanto, with tolerance to both glyphosate and dicamba, offered promise of new weed control convenience. Northwest of Winnipeg a few minutes, near Grosse Isle, seed grower Rick Rutherford was heavily committed to the dicamba option, for his growers.

More than 450 km west, at Corning (about 40 minutes south of Grenfell), seed grower Brent McCarthy was anticipating a burndown of Roundup Ready® canola volunteers in his newest soybeans. Both seed producers have contracts with NorthStar Genetics as well as other companies.

the beans at 165,000 plants per acre. All of Rutherford’s soybeans went into the ground between May 10 and May 17. They were on canola, barley, or wheat stubble. He also grows corn, peas, and oats. “We had ideal seeding conditions this spring,” Rutherford says. “We had a couple shots of moisture through seeding. Everything is up now and wellemerged. Up until now we’ve had pretty good conditions.” Pre-emergence, all the soybean fields were sprayed with a tank mix of Roundup and Heat. Mixed with glyphosate, the BASF product Heat (with Kixor technology) takes out the resistant volunteer canola that has emerged, as well as resistant types of kochia and wild mustard. That application, about four weeks earlier, wiped the field clean for soybeans. Now, Rutherford was about ready for the second visit. The Roundup Ready 2® lines would be protected with glyphosate;

Grosse Isle

Corning

Approx. 450 km Manitoba grower

the Roundup Ready 2 Xtend® system would be protected with a combination of glyphosate and dicamba (Banvel).

Rutherford has been growing soybeans for 18 years. He plants about 1,500 acres of seed soybeans. He has three varieties of Roundup Ready 2 Xtend® beans planted on 700 acres for 2017 and hopes for a “good average” yield in the low 40s, like he had in 2016.

Cautious? Definitely.

Rutherford does precision planting with a row crop planter on 20-inch spacing. He’s had the planter for seven seasons, and uses it for both corn and soybeans. He plants

“The most sensitive crop we’re dealing with here is non-dicamba soybeans. It takes as little as one one-hundredth of the rate to kill a non-dicamba Roundup

“It’s a contractual obligation, so we have to do it that way for seed production, but you’re dealing with Banvel and it likes to kill lots of other things than weeds,” Rutherford says.

Ready® soybean. They are extremely, extremely sensitive to dicamba. I wish the weeds were that sensitive,” he says. Watching wind direction would be top priority the day of application. Sprayer cleanup would be a close second. “Sprayer cleanup takes a lot of care. It’s huge. A lot of the issues come with improper sprayer cleanout. We definitely triple rinse, then take out and clean the filters after we rinse. Then, we plan on going into a wheat crop. If there is a little residue of dicamba, wheat can take it. I just have to be very careful.” As a business, the south Interlake seed farm is committing so much to the Roundup Ready 2 Xtend® system because there’s a market for it. “That’s where the technology is going. We promote it to the people who have kochia. We really don’t have any kochia on our farm at present, but that’s probably the main weed in our area and it can blow onto a farm pretty easily. Going forward, any yield advances you see probably will have the dicamba trait. That’s where the breeding is concentrated now. So, as weed resistance becomes a bigger issue here, you definitely want the tool in your toolbox,” Rutherford says.

Saskatchewan grower McCarthy has been growing soybeans for five years in southeastern Saskatchewan. He had 450 acres of seed soybeans last year and has “a tad over” 900 acres of soybeans in 2017. That includes 160 acres of Roundup Ready 2 Xtend® beans. He had to wait a dozen years for earlier maturing, good yielding soybean varieties to become available. Now they are, and he’s into it. “We go for the earliest we can get,” McCarthy says. “We have grown some up to 2400 heat units, with good success, but we’re looking for 2200 and 2300 heat units to overcome our hurdles.” The second-generation family seed farm had one of its best crops in 2016, McCarthy says. “It was just the right combination of factors and good for everything. The harvest was long, but we did get it in the bin. Generally 50 to 70 percent of our acres will be for seed production. The soybeans had lots of heat, lots of moisture, and our highest yield so far. They averaged 38 bushels to the acre.” McCarthy puts in his soybeans with a Bourgault Paralink seeding system on 10-inch row spacing. He plants the beans at 230,000 plants per acre. All of McCarthy’s soybeans went into the ground on May 20 to 23, mostly on wheat stubble. He also has canola, peas, lentils, and durum this year.

Rick Rutherford inspecting his Roundup Ready 2 Xtend® soybeans. Photo courtesy of Rick Rutherford.

“Seeding conditions were very good. We did have a -5 frost the morning we were going to start seeding, so we waited about three days, then fired up. We seeded all our beans over a five-day window, into conditions a little drier than we are used to. We dried out fairly quick over the spring,

so we did plant the beans a little deeper, about an inch and a quarter.” In the days that followed, McCarthy’s soybeans had “nice, even emergence” after a very good pre-burn application with Roundup and Heat herbicides. “We’ve had a bit of rain since seeding. That perked them up and they look quite nice right now,” he said on June 14. “We will look at doing the first dicamba spray anytime now, whenever the wind goes down.” McCarthy has farm and business reasons for going into the Roundup Ready 2 Xtend® varieties. “We learned early that weed control is very important. The first couple years into soybeans, the volunteer Roundup Ready® canola really kicked us. We still grow a lot of canola. We’ve learned a lot and we manage it better, but it’s still a problem. I think the Xtend may help us manage it a bit more,” he explained. As a seed business, he has growers who are interested in Roundup Ready 2 Xtend® soybeans. They will be visiting his variety test plots in July and August, asking questions. The plots will include the new NSC StarCity RR2X variety from NorthStar Genetics. Most of his growers are just getting used to the idea of producing soybeans, but he has “a handful” who are ready to learn a few more things so they can be more successful with the new crop. “There’s always a hope that you can make the weed control easier,” McCarthy says. “Volunteer canola has been one of our problem weeds, but kochia is certainly here and, if it stays dry, it’s going to move up to the top of the list. Kochia is in a lot of areas. If the dicamba part of this helps with controlling kochia, it’s got a big advantage for growers.” We’ll check in with Rick Rutherford and Brent McCarthy to see how their Roundup Ready 2 Xtend® varieties perform this season, and you can read all about it in our December issue.

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The Earliest Maturing Soybean Varieties from NorthStar Genetics By Teresa Falk

oybeans are moving farther west thanks to new earlier maturing varieties from companies like NorthStar Genetics.

NSC Leroy RR2Y, NSC Watson RR2Y, and NSC StarCity RR2X are among the earliest varieties available in Western Canada, with NSC Leroy RR2Y possibly being the earliest, according to Claude Durand, product development manager for NorthStar Genetics, based in Manitoba.

“All these varieties have Genuity® Roundup Ready 2 Yield® (RR2Y) or Roundup Ready 2 Xtend® (RR2X) genetics, which have made it possible to substantially reduce the length of growing season required for these varieties, without substantially reducing yield,” he says. NSC Leroy has a relative maturity (RM) of 000.6, NSC Watson a RM of 000.8, and NSC StarCity a RM of 000.8 with the Roundup Ready 2 Xtend® trait. NSC Leroy, with 2225 CHU (crop heat units), is a great choice for Saskatchewan farmers in the black soil zone. It has a plant growth structure that is fairly tall and upright. NSC Watson is also suitable for the black soil zone of Saskatchewan, as well as dark brown and brown zones. It has a 2250 CHU, strong early season vigour and very good height. NSC StarCity is the first early maturing variety with the Roundup Ready 2 Xtend® trait allowing farmers to use glyphosate and dicamba for extended in-season weed control. It has a CHU of

2250/75 and does well in reduced tillage. These varieties are a perfect fit for farmers who have a shorter growing season, to mitigate risk of yield reduction due to early frost or adverse conditions through the growing season, says Durand. Soybean researchers have been looking for varieties that can complete their entire cycle from germination to maturity in a shorter period of time. Through refocused efforts of breeders to reduce growing season requirements of soybean varieties, and with the introduction of the Roundup Ready 2 Yield® system, we have gradually been able to bring to market new earlier varieties each year, says Durand, and have probably reduced the growing period by almost two weeks over a fiveyear period.

encouraged some growers in the longer season areas to include some of these varieties to spread out their risk and harvest,” he says, adding data has also shown that in shorter season areas the earliest varieties tend to yield higher than the longer season ones. When it comes to planting conditions, Durand recommends that any soybean variety be planted once the ground is warm enough (10° Celcius or higher), wherever you are located. Typically, these temperatures occur in mid to late May. Because the eastern Prairies has a longer growing season, Durand says these growers should go with longer season varieties versus further west where they tend to get cooler temperatures and earlier frost. However, growers in longer growing season areas might switch to early

maturing varieties, if planting was substantially delayed due to poor weather, he says. Another consideration for growers is moisture conditions. Varieties with a shorter growing season could potentially reach full maturity before moisture reserves dry up, says Durand; however, on the flip side, they may not be able to take advantage of some late season rainfalls. “That is why many farmers will grow more than one variety with a maturity spread that will manage the risk and reward of either scenario,” he says. For more information on these early maturing soybean varieties, visit http://www.northstargenetics.com/ca/ soybeans/

“This has allowed for a significant expansion of the soybean growing area in Western Canada – much of it in areas where growers would not have thought it possible just a couple years ago,” he says. “Now there are a number of varieties in the 000 maturity grouping currently available on the market.” NSC Leroy can achieve full physiological maturity in 105 days or less. By looking at the NorthStar Genetics staging chart, and referencing it to Leroy’s timeline, a grower should be able to see how low the risk is of significant frost damage in his or her area, says Durand. While the current NorthStar Genetics lineup would permit soybean production in almost every region in Western Canada, the company continues to evaluate hundreds of lines each year to find new varieties with even earlier maturity and accompanying high yield potential, says Durand. The yield potential of the shorter season varieties is not quite as high as the longer season varieties, but it is still quite good, Durand notes.

NSC Leroy RR2Y on August 31

“We’ve seen these varieties yield in the 50-bushel-an-acre range, which has 19

Recipe for Soybean Success: Just Add Water (and Phosphorus, Potassium, and Sulphur) By Geoff Geddes

t one time, “just adding water” might have been enough to ensure healthy crops. Today, such an approach can leave you disappointed come harvest time. Even soybeans, which are often seen as less demanding than some other crops, require added nutrients to flourish. “Nutrients are essential for all forms of life,” says Don Flaten, a professor in the department of soil science at the University of Manitoba. “Crop production removes a lot of nutrients from the soil which then have to be replaced. Nutrient management and replenishment are essential for long-term sustainability.” Soybeans do have a lower requirement for some macronutrients than other crops. For example, they fix their own nitrogen from the atmosphere. In other areas, though, they need a helping hand.

The fuss about phosphorus While his team’s research shows a relatively low probability of response from soybeans to phosphorus (P) fertilizers as they take P from sources that other crops don’t use, eventually the mineral must be replaced in the crop rotation. “We recently completed a three-year study across 28 sites in Manitoba and only one site showed soybean response to phosphorus fertilizers. On average our sites yielded over 45 bushels per acre without adding P, but since soybeans take up about 0.8 lb of P per bushel, if you don’t add P, you’ll have less of it available for other crops in your rotation.” In light of that, Flaten is encouraging Manitoba soybean

“Soybeans are pigs for potassium...” farmers to maintain their P balance as best they can in their crop rotation so as not to shortchange other crops for phosphorus fertility.

Potent potassium When it comes to soybeans and potassium, Flaten doesn’t mince words. “Soybeans are pigs for potassium; they remove over a pound of potassium per bushel of harvest, which is at least double the rate for canola or wheat.” That sentiment is seconded by Laryssa Stevenson, director of research and production with the Manitoba Pulse & Soybean Growers. “Soybeans are the largest remover of potassium of all annual grain crops,” says Stevenson. “You run into the same issue here as with phosphorus. Since soils in Western Canada are generally high in potassium, farmers aren’t fertilizing for it.” As a result, where soybeans are frequently part of the rotation, Stevenson is seeing soil that should have 300 to 400 parts per million of potassium depleted to below 100, which she calls the “critical threshold” for soybeans.

up, resulting in a temporary iron deficiency.” Soybean potassium deficiency - Photo by Geoff Geddes

For soybean farmers who encounter this issue, Stevenson recommends waiting it out as it will likely clear itself up once the soil dries out. That doesn’t mean, however, that you’re in the clear for future crops. “You need to be mindful in subsequent years that your crop is prone to IDC and choose a soybean variety that is resistant.” Since some varieties are more effective at taking up iron from the soil, growers should consult the Manitoba Variety Evaluation Guide as it contains iron deficiency ratings specifically for soybeans.

Sulphur at your service

The need for nitrogen

The last of the “big three” macronutrients beneficial to soybeans is sulphur.

Still, the nutrient with the greatest impact on soybeans is nitrogen. And while it’s true that nitrogen fixation plays a major role in satisfying this need, Stevenson sees a role for farmers, as well.

“Generally, if you are fertilizing other crops like canola that need sulphur, you should have enough in the soil to satisfy soybeans,” says Stevenson. “If the soil is limited in sulphur, you’re likely to see it in those other crops first.”

Don’t ignore iron Some micronutrients are also notable for their role in soybean production. “Iron is one that we worry about in soybeans but not in other crops,” says Stevenson. The specific concern in places like Manitoba involves iron deficiency chlorosis (IDC), which shows up early in the vegetative stage when soils get waterlogged in the spring or for some reason have saturated soil. “Although there is a lot of iron in our soils, when that soil is saturated, it converts iron to a form that is unavailable for the roots to take

“We advise putting down an inoculant in the seed-row or furrow, one that contains the rhizobium needed for fixation. Because soybeans only get about half the nitrogen they need from fixation, if your inoculant doesn’t work, or you forget to apply it, you can lose a lot of yield.” For new growers who don’t yet have that built-up population of rhizobium bacteria in the soil, Stevenson recommends inoculating soybeans with two placements: a liquid inoculation on the seed followed by a liquid or granular inoculation in the seed row. “Some of our research on fields with no history of soybeans shows an average yield increase of 10 bushels per acre with inoculation, so it’s an important step to get your crop off to a good start.” Of course, it all starts with adequate moisture, but if you don’t include proper nutrients in the mix, it’s your business that may be taking a bath. 21

More Nitrogen Anyone? What’s New In Nodulation? By Geoff Geddes

itrogen for soybeans is like chocolate for a sweet tooth: remove it at your peril. While certain nutrients fall into the “nice to have but not required” category, nitrogen is essential to soybean survival. And when it comes to optimizing nitrogen and protecting your crops, the best approach is a combination of nature and nurture.

Supplying the demand “Soybeans have a high demand for nitrogen,” says Ariel Gohlke, brand manager for inoculants – Canada with BASF. “Approximately 5 lbs. of nitrogen are required to produce a bushel of soybeans. Fortunately for soybean producers, most of this nitrogen is provided through biological fixation of atmospheric nitrogen by bacteria living in colonies (nodules) on the soybean roots.” The process is known as nodulation and is a prime example of nature taking its course. It’s also a critical process for soybeans and those who grow them. “Biologically, nodulation is the second most important reaction for plants after photosynthesis as it gives the plant access to what is essentially a free pool of nitrogen, which just happens to be the most important nutrient for soybeans,” says Jon Treloar, a technical 22

agronomist with Monsanto BioAg. Since Mother Nature does her part to keep soybeans nourished with nitrogen, growers need to do theirs.

Apply within “To ensure nodulation, growers should use an inoculant on the seed and an infurrow application,” says Gohlke. This is especially true in Western Canada where weather events such as very cold or wet springs may affect the inoculant applied on the seed. With the application of the second dose in furrow, growers gain added assurance of proper nodulation. Deciding to perform the applications is the first step; just as important, though, is deciding what to apply. “For the past two years, BASF has been promoting the use of Nodulator PRO, which contains the most effective and active Bradirhizobium japonicum on the market,” says Gohlke. The Bradirhizobium japonicum produces the nodules and with that, fixes nitrogen from the atmosphere. Given the potential damage to yield in the absence of proper nodulation, Gohlke takes it one step further. “Soybean growers should be considering the additional benefits that a second biological, such as the one in Integral – Bacillus amyloliquefaciens – can bring to the crop. This second biological is the

only biofungicide on the market for soybeans and suppresses important seed diseases. On top of this disease suppression, it also increases growth above and below ground, boosting water and nutrient uptake as well as increasing nodulation and, in the process, nitrogen fixation.”

Jump to it Since farming is a daily battle, producers should consider all weapons at their disposal to aid in nodulation. “There are other biologically active components that we can add to the production system,” says Treloar. One of those is the LCO (lipochitooligosaccharide) molecule. While its chemical name would stress a spelling bee champion, it can speed up the nodulation process and mitigate some of the stressful conditions that may hinder the process. “Another tool is JumpStart technology, the phosphate solubilizing fungus that assists with building a strong fibrous root hair system where nodulation can take place,” says Treloar. “JumpStart facilitates root development and provides energy for the plant.” Both options are commercially available products found at all major agriculture retailers. “JumpStart is appealing as agronomically it fits very well with

soybean production. You want to get soybeans in the ground early and that typically means cooler temperatures when phosphorus is least available.” Because soybeans are heavy users of nitrogen, requiring upwards of 250 pounds per acre, growers are advised to maximize the nodulation potential with a heavier inoculation regime.

Showing their true colours So you’ve purchased the right products and applied them as directed; your work is done, right?

As any Canadian farmer will tell you, it’s never that easy. “If your plants look healthy and vigorous, chances are the nodulation was successful,” says Dale Risula, Government of Saskatchewan Provincial Specialist in the Crops and Irrigation Branch of the Ministry of Agriculture. “But if they are yellow or weak, you need to dig up the plant carefully to avoid shearing off the nodules, wash the dirt from the roots, and take a closer look.” According to Gohlke, a lighter green

colour or shorter plants are signs of nitrogen deficiency. In these instances, he agrees with the need to pull out the plants and have a closer look, examining at least four to five nodules per root. If nodulation did not occur and it’s still possible to do so, Gohlke says growers should be adding nitrogen fertilizer to their crop. He hastens to add that this is very unusual if they are using a good quality inoculant. Like raising a child, nature and nurture each play a role in crop production. And for both kids and crops, if you suffer a misstep, you can always tweak your approach with the next one.

Soybean nodules - Photo courtesy of BASF Canada

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Are Farmers Going Back to Aerial Application? By John Dietz

Aerial application can be more than a quick fix. Some farmers are booking aerial application along with crop inputs. Is this establishing new opportunities?

ircraft spraying crops are common sights on the southern Prairies.

Most are booked as needed, a day to a week in advance, according to growing conditions. However, a growing number are booked months in advance, for a variety of reasons. Growing Soybeans talked with one customer, who preferred to be anonymous, about his family’s use of pre-booked crop spraying service in the Morris/Rosenort area of southeastern Manitoba. For this article, we’ll call him “Joe.” The family has been growing soybeans at least 15 years. They’ve had a selfpropelled high clearance sprayer nearly as long. But, for at least six years, they have been pre-booking the fungicide work in July with Dale Air Services of Morris. Dale Air now is part of the GJ Chemical Group, with retail locations in Altona, Arnaud, Brunkild, Miami, and Morris. The locally-owned, independent retail has 19 agronomists on staff in 2017 and provides a full range of services.

rescue. It’s all about the timing. It is likely that portions of his fields will be wet in July. The soil is mostly Red River clay and the fields need drainage channels. In one mid-summer pass, the tall tires on the sprayer could crush two feet of crop that won’t recover. That’s a cost of about 1.5 percent of the yield. Meanwhile, the ground sprayer passes over field drains. Those can be dammed off by the tires and, at the next rain, may stop doing their job. That will cost some yield, too. As for the quality of the job, Dale Air can match his ground sprayer consistently, as far as he can tell without making a mark in the crops or soils. Joe could try doing the fungicide work in July, but already his hands are more than full from April to November. If he tried the fungicide applications, he could miss his timing on other field work. He also needs personal time off, or family time, on nice days in summer – not just a few wet and windy days. He admits, he gets a discount by

“We encourage growers to plan ahead, get ready in the fall for next year.” Joe, the Dale Air customer, normally uses a high clearance sprayer with a 130-foot boom. He cruises fields at about 15 MPH, taking down weeds before seeding and after seeding, desiccating crops before harvest, then doing more weed control after harvest.

booking aerial applications in advance. He gets a priority status, that the timing will be right, because he’s booked ahead.

According to Joe, there’s good reason for booking ahead on the July fungicides rather than calling for

Reasons like that are pretty typical for his customers who book in advance, says Dale Air Service manager Charlie Muller.

And, if it happens to be so dry that he doesn’t want a fungicide at a planned time, he can cancel without a penalty.

“We’re fortunate. We get a lot of regular customers booking well in advance,” says Muller. “We bought Dale Air in 2014, but they started spraying in the 1970s and incorporated in 1990 as a retailer. We have quite a bit of business that books ahead every year. The customers who do that haven’t changed. Dale Air has had that kind of business for a while,” Muller says. Dale Air owns two bright yellow Ag Tractor 502s and half of a third Ag Tractor. The planes carry 500-gallon tanks for applications and specialized nozzle technology. The Ag Tractors were spraying spruce budworm in Quebec forests in May and June. They return in the last week of June to start the fungicide season in the Red River Valley. They have about four weeks of spraying near home, then move on again until they can do some pre-harvest desiccation spraying. Dale Air is part of the Manitoba Aerial Applicators Association. It would “be hard” to get statistics on prebooking service, Muller speculates, but he believes it is highly variable and that Dale Air is at the high side of the percentage. “Dale Air probably has a little more of the returning regular customers, but I definitely think it’s picking up for everyone,” he says. “Probably, close to half our business is booked in advance. That’s a high number in the aerial business. Some guys might be less than 20 percent.” Pre-booking definitely benefits the aerial service, according to Muller. “Owning the retail side, too, we can plan ahead, order the product we need. It makes our budgeting a lot easier, so we can pass on a discount to those customers,” he says. He adds, “We encourage growers to plan ahead, get ready in the fall for

next year. When we’re selling seed and stuff, we work it in with that. We say, book your seed and aerial application at the same time. If you do, we’ll discount you per acre.” The value of one type of application versus the other can always be debated. Water, nozzles, speed are all important variables, assuming that the work is done at the right time and with a careful approach. Ground rigs should apply 10 to 15 gallons of water per acre, for instance, to get complete crop coverage. Airplanes should apply 4 to 5 gallons, for the same reason. Either one, if they need to cover more fields in a day, can be tempted to cut the water rate. Muller says, “We try to stay close to the 4- or 5-gallon-per-acre range.

That’s tough because, when you’re in a big rush, when you have thousands of acres to catch up to, guaranteeing that amount of water means you are doing so many extra loads a day. It is kind of tough, but we want to do a good job.” One thing that improves the aerial application is new nozzle technology. “Nozzles have come a long way over the last 10 to 20 years. We’ve invested in new nozzles that are among the best for in-crop spraying and we’re doing trials with some new atomizer nozzles that may be even better,” he says. Delivered at 120 MPH and 6 to 10 feet above the crop, the air turbulence creates a canopy-penetrating mist that reaches through the crop and down to the ground.

“You’re getting coverage on just about every (wheat) kernel. On soybeans and canola, my applications are hitting the entire stem and all the flowers,” he says. Being in the retail business, Muller sees both sides of the application business. He admits, “It’s hard to beat a ground sprayer that’s using a high volume, with the right nozzles and travelling at the right speed in good conditions and doing a perfect job.” Still, Muller says, his pre-booked business is growing. “Every year we sign up a couple new customers who want to park the ground sprayer in fungicide season. They’ll contract out the whole farm by air, and we’ll look after everything.” 27

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Will Corn Follow Soybeans into Western Canada? By Ron Friesen

In June 2013, Monsanto Canada raised eyebrows by announcing an aggressive plan to substantially increase corn acreage in Western Canada.

itled the Canada Corn Expansion Project, the plan called for Monsanto to invest $100 million over the next ten years to produce corn hybrids suitable for growing conditions on the Prairies. The project, when complete, could see corn grown on eight to ten million acres by 2025, a 20-fold increase from the current acreage, according to Monsanto. That was four years ago and there are eight years left in Monsanto’s plan. How’s it going so far? Slowly, according to industry observers. “We’re in 2017, here, with eight years to go. It’s pretty tough to call at this point,” says Mitchell Japp, provincial cereal crops specialist with Saskatchewan Agriculture. To be fair, there has been progress. According to the Manitoba Agricultural Services Corporation, Manitoba growers insured 424,316 acres of grain and silage corn in 2016, up 34 percent from the previous year. But the 2016 acreage is only marginally ahead of the total in 2013 when 421,870 acres were insured. True, Stats Canada this spring predicted Manitoba farmers would plant 475,000 acres of grain corn in 2017, well ahead of last year’s figure. Still, Manitoba’s corn acreage to date can best be described as relatively stable. Next door in Saskatchewan, corn is expanding faster but the acreage is much smaller. According to 2016 census data, grain and silage corn acreage totaled over 120,000 acres on nearly 1,000 farms. That’s up considerably from the 2011 census,

which reported 38,000 acres of corn on 400 farms. But much of it is silage corn used for forage or grazing. At best, corn in Saskatchewan is still a marginal crop. Judging by the figures, corn in Western Canada has a long way to go to reach Monsanto’s lofty goal. For its part, Monsanto insists the company’s plan is on target and corn acreage should show some major increases once new hybrids start coming on stream in a few years. “Once the pipeline starts to go, it will flow a lot more,” says Dan Wright, Canada corn and soybean portfolio lead for Monsanto. “We feel good about it. I know our breeders feel good about it.” Wright said Monsanto’s breeding team has made “great progress” in developing high-yielding early maturing hybrids with low heat units. The company is currently working on hybrids that mature in 70 days with target yields at or above 130 bushels per acre. It expects to release the first one for commercial use in two to three years. That’s the kind of hybrid needed for corn acreage to increase exponentially across the West, says Brian Nadeau, president of Nadeau Seeds in Fannystelle, Manitoba. Currently, the best available varieties mature at around 74 to 75 days. “They’ve got to come out with 70- to 71-day corn with great yields,” Nadeau says. Monsanto’s target of 130 bushels an acre is in line with current yields in

southern Manitoba, where much of the province’s corn is grown. Last year’s provincial average yield was a record 140 bushels an acre, according to Pam de Rocquigny, Manitoba Corn Growers Association general manager. But matching high yields with fewer days to maturity can be a tricky balancing act, she adds. “Sometimes, when you shorten days to maturity, the yield potential goes down with it,” says de Rocquigny. The trick, then, is to develop varieties that yield well and mature early in order to reach Monsanto’s goal. That may not be as unrealistic as it sounds. Crops once considered marginal in Western Canada became major players after producers got their hands on varieties suitable for local growing conditions. Just look at what happened to lentils in Saskatchewan and soybeans in Manitoba. Once the acreage for those crops reached a critical mass, they took off. “We saw that growth curve in Manitoba very recently for soybeans. It got to that critical threshold and it just ballooned,” Japp says. Japp suggests corn might also have some possibilities in southern Alberta, where irrigation infrastructure is in place. The region has more heat units than Saskatchewan and ready access to feedlots, so there could be an opportunity to feed high moisture corn without having to dry it first. But accessing hybrids that yield well and mature early during a short growing season is only one challenge for Prairie growers. Another is the high cost of equipment and infrastructure.

Nadeau says a corn planter is essential, since an air seeder isn’t suited for corn. A special header for harvesting is preferable. Also essential is a grain dryer because corn comes off the field with moisture content of at least 25 percent, which has to be lowered to around 14 percent for safe storage. Bins should be aerated and growers need a lot of them because corn is a high-yielding crop. For first-time growers, Nadeau recommends starting small – anywhere between 80 and 260 acres. Hire a custom corn planter to seed the crop instead of buying an expensive planter right away. And do your homework by consulting experienced growers before starting out. “Go visit your neighbour who’s grown it for many years and take his advice,” Nadeau says. Despite Monsanto’s ambitious longrange agenda for corn, most industry people are taking a wait-and-see attitude. Some doubt the company’s goal is even possible. But it depends. This sort of thing has happened before. Soybeans were once a minor crop west of Ontario. Now they are the third largest crop in Manitoba. Lentils were once considered a rarity. Now 65 percent of the world’s lentils are grown in Canada, mainly in Saskatchewan. Spring wheat used to yield 25 bushels an acre. Now, farmers are harvesting more than twice as much. Given all that, who says Monsanto and other companies investing heavily in corn research can’t achieve similar results?

New Trait Makes Corn More Suitable for the Prairies By Bruce Barker

VT Double PRO RIB Complete delivers insect control in a bag.

onsanto Canada’s VT Double PRO RIB Complete has become an option for corn growers now that several corn hybrids with early maturity are available in Western Canada. The stacked traits provide dual modes of action for above-ground protection from European corn borer, corn earworm, and fall armyworm. With refugein-the-bag convenience, the trait provides simplicity and insurance against aboveground insect threats. “We hear quite a bit about European corn borer from field agronomists in Manitoba. Corn borer seems to be spotty, but where it is present, it can impact yield,” says Chase Phillips, technology development representative with Monsanto Canada. In 2016, John Gavloski, entomologist with Manitoba Agriculture, said European corn borer populations were noted to be high in the central region of Manitoba, which includes the Red River Valley. He says the insect tends to go through cycles in Manitoba. “For several years they were not much of an issue, but populations seemed to have increased in the last couple of years. It’s hard to know how long increases in population will continue before regulating factors reduce levels again,” says Gavloski.

stalks, cobs, and plant debris on the soil surface. While insecticide application is an option, once the larvae have tunneled into the stalk, it is ineffective. Insecticides should only be applied when economic thresholds have been surpassed. Manitoba Agriculture has an Economic Threshold chart that takes the number of European corn borer larvae, insecticide control costs, and crop value into consideration. For example, if insecticide control costs $18 per acre, and the corn is worth $450 per acre, the economic threshold would be one larvae per plant. The VT Double PRO RIB Complete includes dual modes of action (expresses proteins from Bacillus thuringiensis) for improved insect control, but to also help manage Bt resistance. Similar to tank mixing different herbicide modes of action to help manage weed resistance, having dual modes of action can also help provide maximum trait durability. Additionally, a refuge of non-Bt hybrids is required to reduce the odds of European corn borer developing resistance to Bt corn. With Monsanto’s RIB Complete brand, the refuge hybrid is mixed in to provide a refuge-in-a-bag, providing the convenience of automatic refuge compliance with the lowest refuge available.

Gavloski says the corn earworm does not overwinter in Manitoba, but in some years does arrive later in the season. It can be a big concern in sweet corn but is less of a concern in field corn. Fall armyworm also does not overwinter in Manitoba. It can occur here, but is not very common. The European corn borer can cause stalk breakage and ear drop where the cob falls to the ground, both which can result in significant yield loss. The adult moths lay eggs on the underside of corn leaves near the mid-rib during warm summer evenings. The eggs hatch, and the larvae go through five instar stages. The third instar larvae bores into the corn stalk and later instars feed inside the stalk and ear shanks. Once mature, the mature larvae overwinter in corn

European corn borer egg masses. Bottom mass is close to hatching - Photo courtesy of John Gavloski, Manitoba Agriculture

Trait as insurance Phillips says that Monsanto ran some research trials in Western Canada from 2013 through 2015 comparing a VT Double PRO RIB Complete corn hybrid to a corn hybrid with the same genetics but only with the Genuity® Roundup Ready 2® trait. The trials were conducted across Western Canada. “In areas where the European corn borer is established, like the Red River Valley, we saw less stalk lodging and higher yield. As we moved out of the traditional corn area towards Brandon and into Saskatchewan, there wasn’t as much of a difference,” says Phillips. Gavloski says that whether a corn grower should invest in the extra cost for the Bt trait would vary with the grower and their region. “Corn growers in areas that have had some higher corn borer pressure recently have better odds of this being an economical investment for them. If European corn borer has not been a big concern in a region recently, then paying the extra price for corn borer protection would have less odds of being a good investment.”

NorthStar Genetics Introduces New Ultra Early Corn NS 72-521 VT2PRIB By Bruce Barker

That is the approach that Phillips is recommending, as well. He says that in areas where the European corn borer is established and has caused damage, investing in a VT Double PRO RIB Complete corn hybrid could make sense as an insurance against insect losses. Moving outside of the Red River Valley, he says the decision would be based on past history of losses from the insect.

Packaged with the VT Double PRO RIB Complete for European corn borer control.

“Our trials found a benefit to using the VT Double PRO RIB Complete traits where European corn borer has been a problem. In Eastern Canada, for example, where populations can be quite high, we’ve seen double-digitbushel yield increases with the traits,” says Phillips. “You may not see that in Western Canada, but our research does show that in areas where the European corn borer has been a problem, there will be a yield advantage.”

At 2100 CHUs, NS 72-521 VT2PRIB is one of the earliest maturing corn hybrids available for 2018. Claude Durand, product development manager with NorthStar Genetics in Winnipeg, Manitoba, says the hybrid brings a good agronomic package together in a corn hybrid with very early flowering and a very high test weight. NS 72-521 VT2PRIB is a medium stature hybrid with a nice appearance at harvest. It has good yield for its early maturity. The hybrid has average resistance to Goss’ wilt and very good resistance to Northern Leaf Blight. Plant height is rated at medium and root rating and early plant vigour are rated as very good.

Late-instar European corn borer larvae - Photo courtesy of John Gavloski, Manitoba Agriculture

“We are positioning this hybrid in mid to short growing season areas, with particular attention to new corn growers,” says Durand. “Growers in the longer growing season may also have interest in the hybrid as a risk management tool.”

NS 72-521 VT2PRIB

DOUBLE EARLY CORN One of the earliest corn hybrids for Western Canada! For NorthStar Genetics’s first corn hybrid, we thought we’d come out swinging! Our NS 72-521 VT2PRIB is an early flowering, early maturing hybrid suitable for nontraditional corn areas and is ideal for new corn growers.

www.northstargenetics.com © NorthStar Genetics 2017 Monsanto Company is a member of Excellence Through Stewardship® (ETS). Monsanto products are commercialized in accordance with ETS Product Launch Stewardship Guidance, and in compliance with Monsanto’s Policy for Commercialization of Biotechnology-Derived Plant Products in Commodity Crops. These products have been approved for import into key export markets with functioning regulatory systems. Any crop or material produced from these products can only be exported to, or used, processed or sold in countries where all necessary regulatory approvals have been granted. It is a violation of national and international law to move material containing biotech traits across boundaries into nations where import is not permitted. Growers should talk to their grain handler or product purchaser to confirm their buying position for these products. Excellence Through Stewardship® is a registered trademark of Excellence Through Stewardship. ALWAYS READ AND FOLLOW PESTICIDE LABEL DIRECTIONS. Roundup Ready® technology contains genes that confer tolerance to glyphosate, an active ingredient in Roundup® brand agricultural herbicides. Agricultural herbicides containing glyphosate will kill crops that are not tolerant to glyphosate. RIB Complete®, Roundup Ready®, Roundup® and VT Double PRO® are registered trademarks of Monsanto Technology LLC, Monsanto Canada Inc. licensee.

#IGROW SOYBEANS What are growers saying about NorthStar Genetics soybeans? “NorthStar Genetics soybeans are a good fit for our farm because they’re the earliest maturing varieties. They also provide the best service through their agronomic advice and their soybeans publications. It’s been a really easy learning curve with them, getting ourselves introduced to growing soybeans. I think they have the best tool kit of varieties that are suited for Western Canada. The company you would think of when you think of early maturing, Western Canadian soybeans, is NorthStar Genetics.” Mike Fedoruk - Kamsack, SK

At NorthStar Genetics, we know beans. www.northstargenetics.com

©NorthStar Genetics 2017 Monsanto Company is a member of Excellence Through Stewardship® (ETS). Monsanto products are commercialized in accordance with ETS Product Launch Stewardship Guidance, and in compliance with Monsanto’s Policy for Commercialization of Biotechnology-Derived Plant Products in Commodity Crops. These products have been approved for import into key export markets with functioning regulatory systems. Any crop or material produced from these products can only be exported to, or used, processed or sold in countries where all necessary regulatory approvals have been granted. It is a violation of national and international law to move material containing biotech traits across boundaries into nations where import is not permitted. Growers should talk to their grain handler or product purchaser to confirm their buying position for these products. Excellence Through Stewardship® is a registered trademark of Excellence Through Stewardship. ALWAYS READ AND FOLLOW PESTICIDE LABEL DIRECTIONS. Roundup Ready® technology contains genes that confer tolerance to glyphosate, an active ingredient in Roundup® brand agricultural herbicides. Agricultural herbicides containing glyphosate will kill crops that are not tolerant to glyphosate. Acceleron®, Genuity and Design®, Genuity®, RIB Complete and Design®, RIB Complete®, Roundup Ready 2 Technology and Design®, Roundup Ready 2 Yield®, Roundup Ready®, Roundup®, SmartStax®, VT Double PRO® and VT Triple PRO® are registered trademarks of Monsanto Technology LLC, Monsanto Canada Inc. licensee. LibertyLink® and the Water Droplet Design are trademarks of Bayer. Used under license. Herculex® is a registered trademark of Dow AgroSciences LLC. Used under license. ©2017 Monsanto Canada Inc. ALWAYS READ AND FOLLOW PESTICIDE LABEL DIRECTIONS. Roundup Ready 2 Xtend® soybeans contain genes that confer tolerance to glyphosate and dicamba. Agricultural herbicides containing glyphosate will kill crops that are not tolerant to glyphosate, and those containing dicamba will kill crops that are not tolerant to dicamba. Contact your Monsanto dealer or call the Monsanto technical support line at 1-800-667-4944 for recommended Roundup Ready® Xtend Crop System weed control programs. Roundup Ready 2 Xtend® and Roundup Ready® are registered trademarks of Monsanto Technology LLC, Monsanto Canada Inc. licensee. ©2017 Monsanto Canada Inc.