It’s been a tough few years for winter wheat in Ontario, not necessarily because of the summer season, but because of the late and wet falls farmers have struggled with for the last two seasons. The fallout from a rough harvest is two-fold when it comes to winter wheat — the crop gets put in… Read More
Soil management prior to planting can be a lot like walking a tightrope. You really can’t go too far one way or the other or you’ll pay the price. While early season is all about making sure the soil is dry enough to get on, as soon as the time comes to plant, you need… Read More
As the snow finally disappears and the wheat crop starts to green up, now is the time to add clover, not nitrogen fertilizer to the crop, says Peter Johnson, cereal specialist with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food. It’s a little early to talk winter wheat conditions (though so far so good), but Johnson… Read More
Do you remember the story of the little red hen? No one would help her plant the seeds, harvest the grain, grind the grain and bake the bread, but everyone was willing to eat the bread when it was all said and done. That’s a little bit like the story of certified seed. Everyone wants… Read More
Test weights on wheat are down below average in parts of Ontario. Compared to this time last year, yields by test weight alone are down by as much as 10% in areas. There are a couple of reasons behind this. The first involves under-filled kernels from plants surrounding dead zones in the field being… Read More
A big part of a successful pest control strategy depends on pests behaving in a certain way and us basing our control measures on that. When an insect pest deviates from typical behaviour, it can in some cases, negate any control strategy we implement based on that behaviour. Things like emergence patterns, feeding habits,… Read More
This episode of the Wheat School can be summarized as a bit of a fusarium clinic. Peter Johnson, Cereal Specialist with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture Food and Rural Affairs gives us a first hand look at the difference in resistance between older wheat varieties and some of the newer generations. Here we get confirmation… Read More
Farmers looking to kickstart their winter wheat crop are very careful in timing their nitrogen application. Applying nitrogen at the wrong stage in plant development can lead to yield loss down the line. That being said, farmers have to take into consideration the difference in conditions this year vs last year. Whereas last years conditions… Read More
There is growing focus on using agronomic practices to improve the in field performance of our crops. One way to do this is through agronomic research within your region or you can look at some of the agronomic practices of other regions of the world. One are area of the world that achieves excellent wheat… Read More
Its time to seed winter wheat and there are several different considerations that you need to make in order to make sure you have success this season. In many ways the steps that you take today are crucial to what your yield results are next August. Too many people make some crucial mistakes at fall… Read More
One of the special things in agriculture is the knowledge that is passed down from one generation to another. In most cases this is a possible experience but sometimes poor information slips through the cracks. A great example of this is the calculation of wheat seeding rates. Whether you are in Eastern or Western Canada… Read More
Peter Johnson, Cereal Specialist with OMAFRA thinks that farmers in Ontario that are not seeding wheat need to give their heads a shake. Having wheat in your rotation has major benefits in terms of agronomics and profitability. According to Peter, wheat is the crop providing the biggest addition to the bottom line on the farm this fall…. Read More
If ever you’ve tried to communicate something you’ve learned or something you’ve experienced, you may have realized quickly that being an engaging communicator is actually quite difficult. Some are born with a talent for riveting storytelling, others work diligently to learn new ways to capture the audiences’ attention. And some, like Peter Johnson, are an… Read More
Wheat Pete. The Wildman. Johnson. Whatever you already call Peter Johnson, you can now add “RealAgriculture agronomist” to that list. RealAgriculture and Peter Johnson are pleased to announce they have joined forces, and Peter will now take on the title of resident agronomist for the company. Already a fixture of the Wheat School, Peter recently… Read More
We’ve hit the half-way mark of this next-to-last week of May and the weather has improved slightly in a few areas of the Prairies, as tinder-dry areas such as Brandon, MB, and Regina, SK, got some much needed rain. In today’s episode of RealAg Radio, host Shaun Haney is joined by Patti Miller, chief commissioner of… Read More