Bernard Tobin is RealAgriculture's Ontario Field Editor. A Ryerson University journalism grad, @AgBern was raised on a dairy farm near St. John's, Newfoundland. For more than two decades, he has specialized in agricultural communications, working for numerous farm media outlets, communications agencies and ag consulting companies. He is based in Georgetown, Ontario.
Planting winter wheat research plots at C&M Seeds near Palmerston, Ont. proved challenging during the difficult 2021 fall conditions. On this episode of the RealAgriculture Wheat School Peter Johnson and C&M research agronomist Mike Holzworth tour the plots and share what the challenging conditions revealed about winter wheat planting dates. The research plots were planted… Read More
Why are corn hybrids that typically reach eight and nine feet tall coming up as much as two feet short? It’s a question many Ontario growers are asking this year as the crop pushes through grain fill. On this episode of the RealAgriculture Corn School, PRIDE Seeds agronomist Matt Chapple digs into the “short corn”… Read More
Building organic matter, soil health, 4R nutrient management, and profitability are all part of the crop production puzzle Bill Ungar and the team at Sandy Shore Farms is piecing together on the sandy north shore of Lake Erie. On this episode of RealAgriculture’s Soil School, Ungar, Sandy Shore’s agronomy manager, shares how the family-owned farm and vegetable… Read More
There is no room for error when it comes to producing hybrid seed corn. It’s a complicated business, and one of the keys to success is effectively detasseling rows of female plants of one inbred line so it can be fertilized by the second male inbred line, creating a hybrid. On this episode of The… Read More
When it comes to planting and establishing corn in a cereal rye cover crop, the growing corn can be adversely impacted by rye’s allelopathic effects, the release of chemicals that inhibit the plant’s growth. But rye can also limit the amount of light, and quality of light, available to corn when it’s growing in the… Read More
Biostimulants designed to enhance performance and yield are nothing new in the corn management world. But growers can expect to see more and more of these products as manufacturers look to bring to market management solutions that alleviate the abiotic stresses plants experience when growing conditions are either too hot, cold, wet or dry. On… Read More
Andy Kieraszewicz never thought the sandy soils on the former tobacco land he farms at Rodney, Ont., could ever average more than 200 bushels of corn per acre. But a fervent commitment to rebuilding organic matter in the drought-prone areas across the 1,000-acre operation has the farmer now consistently producing eye-popping yields he didn’t think… Read More
What’s in store for the 2022 soybean crop as plants move through the vegetative and reproductive stages? Will it be a white mould year? On this episode of the RealAgriculture Soybean School, BASF agronomist, Ken Currah, looks at the stark contrast between the 2021 and 2022 growing seasons and how it could impact disease management… Read More
Corn growers often turn to tissue testing to diagnose a problem. When plants in a field are yellowing or pale, grabbing a sample and sending it to the lab can seem an obvious way to confirm a nutrient deficiency. But there’s more to the tissue testing story than simply identifying a problem and finding a… Read More
When it comes to corn, even emergence and uniform plant growth is a well-known recipe for a high-yielding crop. New research also shows that even emergence is a significant contributor in the fight against gibberella ear rot and deoxynivalenol (DON) accumulation and other mycotoxins associated with the disease. On this episode of RealAgriculture’s Corn School, University… Read More
Should Ontario winter wheat growers apply a T3 fungicide to protect the crop from fusarium infection? That’s the question RealAgriculture’s Bernard Tobin and University of Guelph associate professor Dave Hooker tackle on this episode of the Wheat School. When it comes to yield response, extensive research conducted by Hooker and his colleagues indicate that, on average,… Read More
Soybean planting is marching on in Ontario. Acres planted across the province vary depending on soil type, but the consensus is, the crop has passed the 50 per cent planted mark and growers will be pushing to plant the remainder of the crop by month end. For many growers, the job now is to assess… Read More
Waterhemp, the invading resistant weed, often misidentified as redroot, green, or smooth pigweed, continues to build resistance against herbicide control in Ontario. University of Guelph weed scientist Dr. Peter Sikkema and his research team have now confirmed waterhemp resistance to Group 27 herbicides in the province. He shared the news earlier this week during a Ridgetown/Simcoe… Read More
When it comes to determining the right rate of nitrogen for your farm there’s nothing better than on-farm data. After a winter of talking with growers about escalating nutrient prices and the most economic rate of nitrogen (MERN), Ben Rosser, corn lead with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) is encouraging… Read More
A cool, wet spring has slowed fieldwork and dreams of early planting appear to be disappearing as the calendar turns to May. But the backward conditions have not stalled weed growth in fields across Ontario. That means growers will need to keep a close eye on winter annuals and mounting weed pressure in soybean and corn… Read More
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