Wheat Pete’s Word, May 25: Wild weather, talking to the public, and weed control

It’s the last Wheat Pete’s Word of May! Very quickly are the growing months going to fly by…

On this episode of Wheat Pete’s Word, host Peter Johnson discusses wild weather, why talking to the public matters, the importance of not beating yourself up, and so much more.

Have a question you’d like Johnson to address or some yield results to send in? Disagree with something he’s said? Leave him a message at 1-888-746-3311, send him a tweet (@wheatpete), or email him at [email protected].

SUMMARY

• Unbelievable! An F2 tornado in Uxbridge.
• A slashin’ rain….rivers of mud.
• Burdock weed is an invasive species in Ontario. Turns out, the burrs on them are a death sentence for small birds such as hummingbirds.
• We need to continue talking to urban media to help them understand some of the intricacies of agriculture.
• It’s all about inputs in, versus outputs out. The circle continues.
• Although we would love to strive for perfection, we need to remember that none of us are perfect farmers, and none of us will ever be perfect, simply because Mother Nature holds the trump card.
• Tile drainage is such an integral part to growing crops in Ontario, but guess what — you have to maintain the system!
• Residue helps slow down erosion.
• The cleanup is going to be harsh from the storm. Take it one day at a time.
• In the severely damaged area, there was rye that was headed out, and the heads were totally wiped out. The flag leafs are just shredded.
• Check out this post on T2-T3 timing for disease control in wheat.
• If you are seeing a lot of burn on your wheat crop, please check what you are doing. You may want to look at your nozzles. But keep the split app up!
• Be careful tank mixing — there is such an environmental interaction. Know what your growing conditions are.
• In some fields, particular areas that were really hammered hard with excess rain last fall…you can see the nitrogen isn’t moving. It is showing up in strips.
• Do you need more seeds per square foot for silage? Pete says we typically up it at least 10 per cent.
• If you need to asses your soybean stands, use the 1-2-3 rule.
• If you are on a truly heavy clay soil, you definitely need more stand. Keep that in mind.
• Almost always in a failed wheat stand, we can strip till, because the wheat roots are so deep
• We are seeing corkscrewed kernels. Learn more, here.
• Corn is just a real princess…there’s no question about that.
• Fertilizer burn on corn — do I need to replant?
• Sow thistles are starting to rear their heads in corn crops.

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