Rob Hinton was born and raised in the Municipal District of Wainwright in Central Alberta on a mixed farm. He spent most of his life in Ag retail and knows the ins and outs of that segment of the industry. In his past experience, Rob used and sold OMEX products and knows full well their performance and will share with you his own observations. Just ask him!  He goes above and beyond to service his customers in a timely fashion to ensure products are received when needed. In his spare time, Rob is a fishing enthusiast and enjoys spending time camping with his wife and sons.

When it comes to spraying foliar fertilizers to aid crop growth, or spraying pesticides to control weeds, diseases, and insects; sprayer operators and farmers pay close attention to various factors affecting product performance. These factors may include the calibration of the equipment, application timing, label instructions and to some extent, the water volume. However, oftentimes hardly any attention is paid to water quality – even though water comprises over 95% of the spray solution.

Have you ever had a field full of leggy seedlings that looked tall and skinny with bent stems and wondered what the cause was? Wonder no more! In this blog post we are examining the causes of leggy seedlings and solutions for preventing this in the field.

You know that pre-season burn-off is worth the investment, but if you are not conditioning your spray water first, are you just throwing money away?

Most producers in Western Canada are working with hard water from wells and dug-outs. Hard water, which is water with a dissolved mineral content of 100-200+ ppm, usually also has a high pH level (greater than 7).

Required by all plants to grow and thrive, calcium (Ca) plays a big part in plant development and fruit quality. Although it’s considered a secondary nutrient, a plant’s need for calcium can be as high as its needs for nitrogen and potassium. 

Calcium is essential for the proper functioning of growing points, particularly root tips and nodules. It aids in cell division, forms compounds which strengthen cell walls, supports the function of cell membranes, and helps control enzyme activity and the metabolism of starch.