Knowing your yield potential is a key factor to consider when selecting corn hybrids for specific farms and fields. Are you planting into highly productive soils with high nutrient holding capacity or a field with heavy clay that has lower yield potential? That’s a big consideration when growers are selecting hybrids for spring planting, says… Read More
There was a time when most hoped that 2019 would turn out better than past challenging years, but the term “being 2019’d” has come to mean…well, insult being added to injury. From the ‘harvest from hell’ in the west, to wet, nasty weather hindering Ontario’s harvest, and now a rail strike already limiting propane access… Read More
No one wants to see crop under snow, especially when that crop is either a) not really ready to harvest or b) most of your acres. Western Canada has been hard hit by snow cover this fall, and it seems the early start to winter now extends to most of Ontario, too. The recent snowfall… Read More
From a too-early pre-harvest application to environmental stresses through the growing season, there are many factors that can impact the quality of harvested pulse seed. To find out more about the quality of the crop, it’s important to test the seed as soon as possible, to find out what’s going on, and whether or not… Read More
Is there a marriage to be made between precision agriculture and strip tillage in corn? That’s a question Maizex Seeds’ agronomist Greg Stewart and Real Agriculture’s Bernard Tobin tackle on the first episode of The Sharp Edge, a new video series debuting on RealAg, brought to you by Maizex Seeds. In the months ahead our… Read More
As growers actively manage herbicide-resistant weeds on their farms, many are also looking at how to secure future effectiveness of other crop protection tools, including fungicides and insecticides. In this first episode of a new season of RealAgriculture’s Resistance Management School, we take a look at the current state of fungicide resistance in field crops… Read More
What happens in your fields during the growing season plays a critical role in determining the numbers that pop up on the combine yield monitor at harvest. One way to better understand those final yields and improve future management decisions is to utilize digital agronomy tools that are now widely available to both growers and… Read More
Pulse crops like a warm, dry bias — something that has eluded much of the pulse growing region of Western Canada this year. Peas especially don’t like wet feet, preferring instead well drained, lighter soil, along with that drier weather. For the 2019 growing season, many pulse growers saw plenty of pea crops with lots… Read More
Are you a hand-shelling corn kind of farmer, or do you like a hand-held moisture meter kind of person? We’ve got something for everyone in this episode of Wheat Pete’s Word, including some neat devices for moisture testing, why corn is drying down faster than many thought possible, and what’s up with funky-coloured wheat. In… Read More
You’ve worked hard and expanded the farm’s land base from about 1,200 acres to 2,400. Where’s your money better spent — a second combine or a grain dryer? Scott Keller, who farms at New Norway, Alta., says the economics are cut-and-dried on that topic. According to Keller —hands down — you’re better off setting up… Read More
Have you ever thumbed through your child’s textbook only to be left shaking your head? RealAgriculture founder Shaun Haney was helping his youngest son with his science homework when a small sidebar on herbicide resistance caught his eye: In my sons grade 9 text book it says that herbicide resistance is due to weeds and… Read More
Have you got your soil tests done for the year? If not, that’s just fine, as late fall is actually a great time to test soil nutrient levels, says Ross McKenzie, now-retired soil scientist (from Alberta Agriculture). Without a soil test to guide the decision, farmers are choosing fertilizer rates “by guess and by golly,”… Read More
Five years ago, Carl Brubacher decided it was time to change how he manages soil on his Arthur, Ont., hog and grain farm. With highly variable soil ranging from sand to heavy clay, he was determined to improve soil health and make the farm more sustainable. In this premiere episode of RealAgriculture’s Soil School, sponsored… Read More
There are a few treats out there in among the tricks of this harvest season. Surprisingly, mature corn and decent soybean yields are making some farmers happy as they put the 2019 growing season to bed, but there are plenty of areas still struggling with immature and wet corn and super low soybean yields. In… Read More
If dogs can detect trace amounts of drugs in luggage, could they be trained to sniff out plant disease, too? The short answer is yes — and a research scientist headed up a project to prove it in a one-year, proof of concept study out of Alberta. Mike Harding, research scientist with Alberta Agriculture &… Read More