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.
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
Corn yield records are made to be broken. That was certainly the case in Ontario in 2021 when the provincial average topped 200 bushels per acre, smashing the previous average yield mark. But all the corn brings with it an abundance of organic matter to return to the soil. When it comes to soil health… Read More
Potassium powers soybean yield. Nitrogen and phosphorus make key contributions and then there are the micros like sulphur and boron that pitch in and help. How much of these nutrients should growers apply in 2022 to optimize their soybean acres? How do you navigate the challenge of skyrocketing fertilizer prices and availability versus lucrative market… Read More
What’s going on below ground? That’s a question farmers often ask when it comes to tillage and the impact different tillage strategies and implements have on soil and crop roots. In this 2021 Ontario Diagnostic Days video report, we catch up with Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) soil management specialist Sebastien Belliard,… Read More
Independent depth control is one of the features that makes Unverferth’s Raptor strip till tools a good fit for growers looking to create ideal seedbeds in the tillage system, the company says. At the National Farm Machinery Show at Louisville, Kentucky, Unverferth’s Garrick Schroeder took RealAgriculture on a short tour of the Raptor. In this video,… Read More
The Salford Group rolled out the latest model in its Halo tillage line at the National Farm Machinery Show last month at Louisville, Kentucky. The company is touting its latest innovation — the Halo VRT — as the agricultural industry’s first tillage implement capable of varying tillage intensity on a forward folding, narrow transport frame. Salford’s… Read More
Tar spot is taking a bite out of yields in some Ontario corn fields but there is hope that growers will have effective tools to manage the leaf disease. Characterized by tar-like speckling on the upper surface of corn leaves, the fungal pathogen has been delivering yield hits ranging from 20 to 60 bushels per… Read More
The Canadian Dairy XPO (CDX) is planning to return to Stratford, Ontario, for a live dairy industry showcase on April 6 and 7, 2022. CDX has not run its traditional tradeshow since 2019 — the event was cancelled in 2020 and a virtual program was presented in 2021. “Things will look different,” says CDX founder and… Read More
It’s time to talk soil health, nutrient management, and more on Day 5 of Ontario Diagnostic Days! The annual Ontario field crop diagnostic days held at Ridgetown, Elora, and Winchester are again virtual in 2021. Cover crops, soil compaction, topsoil sampling and soybean fertility are the focus of this episode. We’ll kick it off with cover… Read More
Thanks to science, Jay Curtis is alive today. The 58 year-old St. Thomas resident was told he was at risk for prostate cancer in his late 50s when a routine prostate specific antigen (PSA) test indicated he could have a problem. When the levels kept rising, a biopsy revealed the presence of cancer. But Curtis,… Read More
Ontario corn growers appear to be sitting on strong yield potential as the the crop shakes off the effects of cool late May weather. Early planting and some timely, albeit limited, rains across the province have propelled the crop forward. With herbicide application expected to wrap up this week, growers will then turn their attention… Read More
With the winter wheat crop advancing quickly and soybean prices hovering around $18, there’s a lot of chatter in Ontario about double cropping soybeans in 2021. The topic commanded the attention of agronomists, researchers and agribusiness reps for almost 20 minutes at this week’s virtual Ridgetown Agribusiness meeting. With the stars aligning, Ontario Ministry of… Read More
When glyphosate-resistant waterhemp was first discovered in Lambton County in 2014, University of Guelph weed scientist Peter Sikkema never imagined the course the weed would take across Ontario, or the speed it would travel. In 2020, Sikkema and his team collected seeds in Leeds & Grenville County. “So that means glyphosate-resistant waterhemp has moved 700… Read More
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