Although it will be a rough wheat harvest for many Great Plains farmers this year, some changes in equipment can help maximize harvest efficiencies, says Kansas State University Extension.

The Canola Council of Canada addresses an important question about canola seed planted in droughty conditions.

Deere has introduced its W170 Windrower and a wide range of draper headers to make swathing faster and easier in heavy crop and hilly conditions.

A trip this week through Kansas was a lesson about the perils of drought, but also the potential of no-till and cover crops to build resilient soils that have a better chance of weathering dry periods.

Not only do dry soil conditions hamper seed germination, they also raise the risk of fertilizer toxicity for seedlings after they germinate, especially in a sensitive crop like canola, says Don Flaten, soil scientist at the University of Manitoba.

Even though the risk of failure increases with later cover-crop planting dates, establishment costs for many small grain cover crops are often low enough that successful years — years where rye establishes and grows well — often outweigh the years when failure occurs, says Nebraska Extension.

Here are some tips from the Alberta Canola Producers Commission to improve canola seed survival and get more from their seed investment.

Nebraska Extension answers a question about the safety of grazing cereal rye this spring after anhydrous ammonia is applied.

A recent two-day summit about preserving the crucial aquifer drew officials from several states, but the real-life hard work of addressing low adoption of water-saving practices like no-till and precision technology still lies ahead.

With cold spring conditions this year, cover crop plant growth has been delayed and questions have come up as to whether that should affect timing of cover crop termination. Nebraska Extension shares some tips on this issue.