It’s important, when you’re going about the business of farming that you really think about it not as a series of distinct and separate seasons, but as a series of interconnected processes. Not just in an obvious “seeding naturally leads to harvest” kind of route, it’s more like, “how I set my machine at harvest… Read More
There’s no one fusarium management tool that will effectively do the job. The best control possible on the wheat crop is going to happen through layering of several management practices together. But which ones have the greatest impact? Phil Needham, of of Needham Ag Technologies, says there are a few “musts” in every fusarium management… Read More
A successful no-till system starts or stops at the combine. This according to Phil Needham of Needham Ag Technologies. As Phil explains, it’s the even spreading of the residue out of the combine that will allow for uniform depth at seeding and uniform emergence as well as other benefits to your crop. SEE MORE WHEAT… Read More
With the Western Canadian winter wheat harvest about to begin, extra attention needs to be paid to harvest timing. When to swath, when to straight cut and when to combine are integral decisions to your profitability. The biggest threat to your harvest tends to be the weather. Wet weather can greatly impact quality if you… Read More
Is there a yield ceiling on wheat? In this episode of the Wheat School we put that question to Phil Needham of Needham Ag Technologies. The answer to that question is not as simple as a blanket yes or no. With every field and every farmer being different, that question is best answered by the… Read More
Originally looked upon as “snake oil” seed treatments have become an integral part of the production system. For the most part many farmers originally had trouble understanding the value because the action was underground. Farmers are used to using products like herbicides that kills weeds which is very visual. The action of seed treatments is… Read More
Trying to maximize the yield of wheat, corn, canola and soybeans is obviously a key focus of growers. According to Phil Needham, Needham Ag Technologies uniformity is the key for farmers across North America. The idea of uniformity applies to seeding depth, seeding rates, plant emergence and residue management. According to Phil, uniformity is the… Read More
It’s Agronomy Monday on RealAg Radio today, as we hear from a number of speakers from the SouthWest Ag Conference held earlier this month at the University of Guelph’s Ridgetown campus. Shaun and Kelvin kick off the show catching up on Trump officially beginning the United States’ withdrawal from the TPP and the Liberals cabinet… Read More
Every wheat farmer has watched with glee as the number on their yield monitor jumps 20 to 50 bushels as the combine travels through the field. In this episode of Real Agriculture Wheat School, agronomist Phil Needham of Needham AG Technologies offers advice on how farmers can drill down through yield maps and soil tests… Read More
The Southwest Agricultural Conference marks the official kick-off of the winter conference season, and field editors Bernard Tobin and Lyndsey Smith were there to catch all the best and brightest agronomy minds at work. In RealAgriculture tradition, Bern and Lyndsey took a few minutes at the end of the show to talk about their favourite speakers,… Read More
For some growers, treating wheat seed is a no-brainer, while others still choose to forego a treatment and the input cost that comes with it. So how do you decide? With seeding ramping up for another spring, Pam de Rocquigny, cereal crop specialist with Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Development, joins us in the field… Read More
The ability to follow the contours of a field sets the Case 500 drill apart from its competitors, but while it cuts the soil well, this unit could do a better job closing the soil. That’s according to Phil Needham of Needham Ag Technologies, who assesses the pros and cons of the Case 500T drill… Read More
In this Wheat School episode, Phil Needham, of Needham Ag Technologies, shows how farmers can use a heavy duty rubber mat and some math calculations to calibrate a box drill. This procedure is really good for double disk drills because they do an excellent job of confining the seeds as they are delivered between two… Read More
When it comes to planting no-till wheat, Phil Needham, of Needham Ag Technologies, says farmers need to think first about the combine before rolling out the drill. “You can buy the best piece of seeding equipment on the market, but it’s only going to be as good as the residue management (in a no-till system)… Read More
The seed drill does its most precise job if running through uniform residue and soil. While there’s little you can do about soil variability, residue management is well within your power. As Peter Johnson says in this video, start your winter wheat planting pass from the combine by spreading residue uniformly. (Click here to see… Read More