Russell Clark joined OMEX after spending many years in the Ag equipment industry. Did you know he was the person who introduced the Phoenix harrows in Western Canada? He has a wealth of knowledge when it comes to farming or troubleshooting farm equipment and can even offer some tips on how to grow a good garden. He is a great storyteller, avid golfer and all-around entertaining guy to spend time with.

When the gravity pulling your crop down to the ground is stronger than the counter forces keeping it standing, lodging will occur. Crop lodging causes serious losses of yield and quality in many crops grown in Western Canada, especially cereals. Assessing the root cause of lodging and taking measures to help prevent it are key for guaranteeing crop standability and preserving yield and quality.

Calcium is an essential nutrient that allows plants to grow, develop, remain healthy and reproduce optimally to form seeds or fruits. Although it’s considered a secondary nutrient, a plant’s need for calcium can be as high as its needs for primary nutrients such as nitrogen and potassium.

For the past few years, we have talked about the concept of “antibiotics + vitamins," referring to what the combination of fungicides and adequate nutrition can achieve for your crops. The right combination is critical for promoting health and fending off diseases and pests, and it all starts with a fungal screening of the seed.

I’m sure you’ve seen how hard water can leave its mark in and around plumbing fixtures and on clothing, but have you taken the time to consider what it means for your spray solutions?

Water across the Prairie provinces varies from moderately hard to very hard. If you are farming on the Prairies, you are, without question, dealing with some degree of hard water. And, as you may know, hard water goes hand-in-hand with high pH (greater than 7). Not only will hard water decrease the effectiveness of your crop protection products and foliar fertilizers, repeatedly spraying high pH water can make the soil acidic, creating a stressful growing condition for crops.