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
Conference season is upon us, and joining the virtual ranks of meetings is Farm Management Canada’s (FMC) Ag Excellence conference. The virtual space can provide a lot more opportunity both to virtual speakers, and to people who otherwise can’t physically make it. Joining RealAgriculture’s Bernard Tobin to discuss the core concepts of the event is… Read More
Sixty-inch spacing for corn is sure not for everyone, but the math and soil conservation rewards can work for farmers who have limited rotations and can benefit from extended grazing for livestock on well-established cover crops. That’s Sunderland, Ontario, farmer Ed Hanson’s takeaway from the first year of growing corn in 60-inch rows on his… Read More
Keep your soil covered, do as little tillage as possible, maintain a living root system 365 days a year, and fit it all into an economic model that makes money: this is sustainable soil health. It’s a challenge, for sure, but it’s one Dresden, Ont., farmer Woody Van Arkel is happy to tackle. On this… Read More
Can we eat our way out of climate change? If we all became vegans could we eliminate livestock and put a big dent in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions? Those are just some of the questions Dr. Sara Place tackles daily in her job as Elanco Animal Health’s chief sustainability officer. Earlier this week, Place joined… Read More
Tar spot has moved through the U.S. Midwest, into Michigan and Wisconsin, and now officially calls Ontario home. Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs’ plant pathologist Albert Tenuta has seen the evidence in a field near Ridgetown, Ont., and there are also reported sightings of the corn leaf disease in Lambton and Essex… Read More
James Hammerton, who farms with his family at Sweaburg, Ont., is giving double crop soybeans a solid go, with the aid of a stripper header to harvest the preceding wheat. On this episode of the Sharp Edge, RealAgriculture’s Bernard Tobin is joined by Greg Stewart, agronomy lead with Maizex Seeds. Stewart interviews Hammerton about his… Read More
Sometimes, when you’re doing things a little differently, you just have to build what you need instead of buying it. Greg Vermeersch and his team at VanMeer Farms at Courtland, Ont., modified a planter frame to custom build a 32-row strip-till unit. It’s a fair bit of engineering, and on this episode of The Sharp… Read More
It’s time for T3 fungicides to control fusarium head blight in Ontario’s winter wheat, but growers may also have another troublemaker in the cereal crop that they’ll need to tackle this time of year. There have been growing reports of cereal aphids in the Ontario winter wheat crop this spring, and growers need will to… Read More