Of course we’re in for six more weeks of winter, Groundhog, we live in Canada! You know what else you can expect for the next six weeks (and longer)? Wheat Pete’s Word! On this week’s episode, host Peter Johnson explores many topics, including some shifting thinking on sulphur, how nitrogen fertilizer can acidify soil, and… Read More
Year: 2022
The science supporting what we know and don’t know about soil health, nutrient cycling, and soil microbes builds every year. Not long ago, much of the soil management narrative focused on keeping soil covered (don’t farm naked!) to minimize erosion risk and build soil. Now we know that while preventing or at least decreasing erosion… Read More
Grain farmers are known for their generosity when supplying nitrogen to the corn crop, but many growers get stingy when providing nitrogen to the soybean crop. That’s a situation University of Illinois plant physiology professor Fred Below sees too often when it comes to managing the oilseed crop. In his presentation last month at the Ontario Agricultural Conference, Below… Read More
Alberta-based meat packers and feedyard owners are voicing concerns about the ongoing blockade to protest COVID-19 restrictions at the Coutts, AB/Sweet Grass, MT border crossing. We’ve talked to numerous sources in the meatpacking and cattle feeding sector to get a handle on the issues that are arising as a result of the Coutts crossing remaining blocked…. Read More
It may not be a brand new week, but it’s a new month — so we’re going with that. With January out of the way… the rush of 2022 begins. On today’s episode of RealAg Radio, you’ll hear: Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Marie-Claude Bibeau, on all the things she’s got on her plate… Read More
The federal government has put out a call for nominations for an advisory committee within the Pest Management Regulatory Agency, in a move that CropLife Canada says creates redundancy in the pest product approval process and could detract from the science-based system. CropLife says that it supports “an independent, science-based and transparent pesticide risk assessment process… Read More
Host Lyndsey Smith and guests George Lazarovits of A&L Biologicals and Jon Treloar of Novozymes BioAg, discuss the evolution of biological products, what exists now, what’s working, what’s in the pipeline, any cautions around using biological products, and where they have made a significant difference in cropping systems. Catch a new episode of The Agronomists… Read More
The federal agriculture minister remains fully committed to her government’s cross-border vaccination mandate for truck drivers, despite pressure from some industry groups and provinces to loosen the requirement to reduce the impact it’s having on specific supply chains. While there’s been much discussion about the direct effect the mandate could potentially have on grocery prices,… Read More
Welcome to another Agronomic Monday edition of RealAg Radio! On today’s show you’ll hear: Peter “Wheat Pete” Johnson, RealAg’s resident agronomist; Fred Below, professor in the Crop Science department at the University of Illinois; Justin Funk, market researcher and managing partner at AgriStudies Thoughts on something we talked about on the show? Connect with host… Read More
The RCMP has issued a travel advisory in regards to the Coutts, Alta., border crossing. Protesters, demonstrating against federal vaccine mandates, began a blockade at the crossing on January 29, 2022. The RCMP says it is looking to get the border crossing up and running as soon as possible. The crossing is a busy one… Read More
Five federal ministers hosted a National Supply Chain Summit January 31st to discuss the challenges facing Canada’s supply chain and to identify potential solutions to ensure that what Canadians need reach their households as quickly as possible. Participants for this initial event included representation of Canadian organizations including business associations, manufacturers, exporters associations, as well… Read More
For the third time, the Ottawa Valley Farm Show has been cancelled. One of the first farm shows impacted by the global pandemic in 2020, the 2022 version of the Ottawa Valley Farm Show will not go ahead, says the Ottawa Valley Seed Growers Association (OVSGA) who runs the show. Organizers say challenges presented to exhibitors… Read More
Wheat growers looking to manage resistance without compromising their crop rotation have a new herbicide to add to their management toolbox. Syngenta Canada has launched Erebus Xtreme, a grass and broadleaf cereal herbicide that combines Group 2 and Group 4 active ingredients in a pre-mixed liquid formulation. When using Erebus Xtreme, Syngenta says cereal growers will be able to effectively… Read More
VeriGrain has made some updates to their grain inventory product, since the last in-person trade show, including an update to the VeriGrain app. “We really made it easy for growers to take grain samples, track those samples, with the goal of getting a more representative sample and to be able to share and manage that… Read More
Today, farm robots come in all shapes and sizes, but they’re really not much different than a farm tractor, says Chuck Baresich, robot expert and general manager for Haggerty Creek Ltd. Last summer, Baresich joined OMAFRA crop innovation specialist Ian McDonald on the Ontario Diagnostic Days video series talk about the evolution of robot technology and where it fits… Read More