Is it efficient to use autonomous vehicle in row crop agriculture in southwestern Ontario? That’s a question cash crop farmer Mark Richards is wrestling with on his Dresden, Ont. farm. In 2022, he used a solar-powered FarmDroid robot to plant sugar beets. That machine found it challenging to adapt to the widespread use of strip… Read More
Author: Bernard Tobin
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.
Can heavy July rains fuel nitrogen leaching and push the valuable nutrient beyond the reach of corn plant roots? That’s a question Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs corn specialist Ben Rosser has been hearing a lot lately as many areas of the province have been dealt a deluge of rain. On this… Read More
Strong plant stands can set a soybean crop up for big yields. But difficult spring conditions can leave soybean seedlings fighting to emerge and unable to contribute to the population levels needed to reach yield expectations. In Ontario, typically one to four per cent of the soybean acres fail to establish adequate plant stands and… Read More
What does it take to grow 258-bushel-per-acre wheat? On this episode of RealAgriculture’s Wheat School, Peter Johnson peppers New Zealand wheat grower Eric Watson on how he achieved that world record wheat yield in 202o. His record has since been broken but the Ashburton, New Zealand farmer is now planning another assault on the record… Read More
When spraying post-emerge herbicides in conventional soybeans, getting good coverage is key to controlling weeds such as ragweed and pigweed. On this episode of RealAgriculture Soybean School, Syngenta Canada agronomic sales representative Brad Garlough explores how new sprayer technology can help growers get better herbicide coverage, optimize weed control, and defend the farm against herbicide… Read More
There’s plenty of research data that shows applying a T3 fungicide to winter wheat will deliver a yield benefit, even in a dry growing season. RealAgriculture agronomist Peter Johnson says dry growing conditions tend to drive down fusarium head blight and other disease pressure, resulting in less yield loss, but the fungicides also increase the… Read More
It’s been dry and cool in Ontario for most of this spring and those growing conditions impact everything from planting, to weed control, and even nitrogen application. On this episode of the RealAgriculture Corn School, Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs soil fertility specialist Colin Elgie shares nitrogen strategy tips for growers as… Read More
It’s been dry and cool across Ontario since soybean planting started rolling at top speed in mid-May and those conditions are causing replant headaches for many growers. Field scouting has revealed a host of soil, seed emergence, and vigour issues, including crusting and cold injury. On this episode of the RealAgriculture Soybean School, Clark Agri-Service… Read More
As edible bean planting wraps up across Ontario, grower focus shifts to controlling post-emergent weeds and grasses. When seed is planted to moisture, in warm soils, growers and agronomists will need to get out and scout to determine what competition, including small and actively growing weeds, the emerging crop will encounter. On this episode of… Read More
As planting of corn and soybeans nears the finish line across Ontario, farmers and agronomists are turning their attention to weed control. A stretch of dry weather that fuelled a two-week sprint of planting, with little time for spraying, means many growers are now checking the status of pre-plant applications and trying to determine next… Read More
Working together towards a common vision is the driving force behind 3Gen Organics, one of the country’s biggest and most progressive family-run organic farming operations. On this episode of Profitable Practices, we visit with Brett Israel, near Wallenstein, Ont, to learn how three generations of the family have worked together to carve out a market… Read More
Many edible bean growers target the first week of June as the optimal planting window for the range of bean types that make up the category. On this episode of the RealAgriculture Edible Bean School, Hensall Co-op field marketer and edible bean grower Dave Louwagie shares tips on prepping the seedbed and the planter for… Read More
Where should growers place fertilizer in strip-till strips to best protect the seed from injury while optimizing nutrient uptake? Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs corn lead Ben Rosser says Ontario does have “safe rate” recommendations for in-furrow and 2″x 2″ planter banding but no guidelines are currently available for strip-till fertilizer placement…. Read More
Do starter and pop-up fertilizers make a significant impact on soybean performance compared to just broadcasting the crops’ nutrient needs? That’s a question Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs soybean specialist Horst Bohner has been asked by many growers during the winter months. He says when soybeans first entered Ontario in the 1960s,… Read More
Thick stand? Thin stand? How does your wheat look as the growing season revs up with mid-April heat? In Ontario, RealAgriculture Agronomist Peter Johnson likes what he sees and says it’s time to get out, scout winter wheat fields and assess those stands. Looking back on data from the first two years of the Great… Read More