August 8th, 2025

Have a great weekend,

Bru, Jenn and the team at Antara Agronomy 

Click to watch Brunel's latest update:

Waterhemp VS Crop Competition

Crop Talk

As we inch closer to harvest, now’s a great time to start thinking about fall planning. A quick reminder to get your soil sampling booked early to avoid the rush once combines hit the field. We’re just a few short weeks out in many areas.

Corn Progress

Corn continues to mature steadily. Cobs are developing nicely, and the crop is progressing well with no major concerns reported. Many fields are moving into the grain fill stages, with tasseling and silking behind us. Barring any weather surprises, things are looking good heading through August.

Cereal Crops

Cereals are approaching the finish line, with many fields now sitting at the hard dough stage or further. Maturity is progressing as expected, and stands are holding up well. Little to no insect or disease pressure reported — just the countdown to swathing or straight cutting now.

Canola Watch

Stands are looking strong, flowering is complete and pod set appears to be progressing well.  No major insect or disease concerns have popped up — just a matter of finishing clean and strong.

Bean Talk

Stands are consistent and filling in nicely. Recent rains have been beneficial for pod development, and there’s been little in the way of insect or disease issues to worry about.

Question of the Week:

 Why we recommend SOIL SAMPLING?

The time has come for our final comparison between the disc and hoe drills before harvest.

The photos in the video were taken on July 31. Below are our observations:

Disc Drill

• Plant height: approximately 100 cm (37")
• Advanced maturity: peduncle is almost completely dried down and golden on the main stem
• Lower leaves are senescing, with minimal green tissue remaining
• Seeds are at the medium dough stage: golden in colour, can still be dented with a fingernail but rebound

Hoe Drill

• Plant height: approximately 80–90 cm (33")
• Main stems and tillers remain green, with initial signs of peduncle drying
• Lower leaves and tillers are still green
• Seeds are at the soft dough stage with a noticeable green tinge

This week's Weed Wednesday topic is:

Field Horsetail  

How to spot it:

• It’s non-flowering, reproducing by spores and through deep rhizomes.

• In spring, you’ll often see spore-bearing shoots before the typical green, brush-like stems appear.

Why is it a problem?

• It has rhizomes that can go down 6 feet, making it extremely hard to control by cultivation.

• It thrives under many conditions, even in temps below 5°C, and is great at pulling up nutrients and silicon from the soil.

• It’s also toxic to horses, so it’s a concern in hay fields and pastures.

Management:

• The best time to target it is early spring, controlling those spore shoots for long-term impact.

• It’s particularly susceptible to 2,4-D, so timely spraying can really help keep it in check.

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