The theoretical yield of soybeans varies depending on who you talk to, but by all accounts the oilseed should be able to top 300 bushels per acre. For growers who deal with the reality of growing the crop in Ontario, a more realistic target is 80 bu/ac, says Syngenta agronomist Eric Richter. With the 2018… Read More
How far have we come in 30 years of plant breeding and agronomic knowledge? Well, in this edition of Wheat Pete’s Word, host Peter Johnson reflects back on corn and soybean yield averages for Ontario and the gains may surprise you. What about wheat? Well, you’ll have to listen to find out if we’ve made… Read More
The advent of herbicide tolerant crops has simplified herbicide selection and timing for those crops types, but that convenience doesn’t apply to all. Plus, the reliance on a few chemistries has left farmers with herbicide resistance issues of several weed types. While the spectre of multi-resistant kochia or even worse weeds might seem insurmountable, Manitoba… Read More
Planting depth, down force, row cleaners and closing wheels — they’re all key considerations when setting up your planter, says corn agronomy guru Ken Ferrie. At the CropSmart 2019 conference held at Kitchener, Ont., last week, Ferrie, the driving force behind Crop-Tech, one of North America’s leading independent agronomy firms, spent almost seven hours sharing… Read More
What’s better — spreading manure on a few inches of snow, or bare, frozen ground? Trick question, and the answer to it is all the way at the end of this week’s edition of Wheat Pete’s Word. But enough about poop, host Peter Johnson covers a pretty wide swath of topics this week, including reading… Read More
Can Ontario winter wheat growers mix ammonium thiosulphate (ATS) with herbicides and fungicides to address sulphur deficiency symptoms or should they apply it separately with streamer nozzles? That’s a question Mike Cowbrough and Joanna Follings wanted to answer with 2018 research plots. The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs weed specialist and cereals… Read More
When the weather is fine, it’s frost seeding time. Wait, are we talking about Ontario? Nope! A mild winter in many parts of Western Canada has farmers wondering… could frost seeding wheat work here? To field that question, RealAg Radio host, Shaun Haney goes to the Wildman himself Peter “Wheat Pete” Johnson. Let’s be clear,… Read More
Should you plant soybeans before corn? The answer is yes if you’re a believer in big data and its ability to help you make better farm management decisions. Earlier this month at the SouthWest Agricultural Conference at Ridgetown, Ont., University of Wisconsin-Madison soybean extension specialist Shaun Conley made his pitch to have farmers put corn on… Read More
Even if you don’t think you have herbicide resistant weeds in your fields, the best management practice might be to treat your fields as if you do. That’s the advice of Linda Hall, associate professor in the Faculty of Agriculture Life and Environmental Science at University of Alberta, in this episode of the Resistance Management School. There… Read More
Just like that, we are knee-deep in meeting season — and that means, engaging speakers, research findings, sales pitches, and new ideas for the growing season ahead. Fresh off another successful Southwest Agricultural Conference, Wheat Pete’s Word host Peter Johnson is raring to go answering your top agronomic questions. First though, if you’re looking for… Read More
It’s not the greatest news to start of the winter learning season — corn growers need to be on alert for a new leaf disease making its way towards Canada. Speaking at the Southwest Agricultural Conference, Martin Chilvers, field crop pathologist with Michigan State University, says tar spot has moved swiftly out of Indiana and… Read More
When your livelihood depends on the weather, it seems like it’s never too early to start getting a handle on the forecast. James Garriss, historic climatologist with Browning Media, was a guest presenter at the recent SouthWest Agricultural Conference at the University of Guelph’s Ridgetown campus. RealAgriculture’s Bernard Tobin had a chance to chat with… Read More
Happy New Year, listeners! Peter ‘Wheat Pete’ Johnson is back with the 191st episode of Wheat Pete’s Word and it could be the very first episode in months not to use that dreaded three-letter word (DON). Instead, this episode talks soil sampling and nutrient recommendation philosophies, dealing with ruts and wet fall conditions, winter manure… Read More
2018 was a difficult year for soybean markets. The U.S.-China trade war triggered a $2.00-$2.50 per bushel reduction in the futures market and neither side appears willing to relent in their sanction tug-of-war. In RealAgriculture’s final Soybean School episode of the 2018 season, we asked ag economist, market commentator, and farmer Philip Shaw for his take… Read More
There is no mineral that provides nitrogen for plants. No rock, like there is for phosphate or sulphur. There is some nitrogen in the organic matter of soils but any additional nitrogen that a plant needs has to come out of the air. The good news is that about 78 percent of the air around… Read More