What role do seeding rates and seeding dates play in producing top-quality, high-yielding edible bean crops? On this first episode of RealAgriculture’s new Edible Bean School we connect with two industry experts to gather insight on how to fine-tune rates and dates to optimize bean production. For an Eastern Canada perspective, we kick things off… Read More
Category: Crop Schools
Seed testing is a simple, proactive way to minimize the risk of fusarium infection in a cereal crop, and reduce fusarium head blight (FHB) in future years. Indirectly, it’s also a surefire way to help protect the marketability of your crop after harvest. In this Wheat School episode, Kara Oosterhuis is joined by Jeremy Boychyn, agronomy research… Read More
First off, predictive soil mapping takes the information from the soil surveys in the 80s and 90s that were limited by technology, and improves the resolution of the generated maps and overlays polygons digitally, that contain more soil information. “Instead of knowing each polygon has three or four different soil types, you actually have an… Read More
If you’re crunching numbers and figuring out ways to tighten up margins, one overlooked option could ensuring you’re getting the full value of the pesticides you apply. One way to measure this is by evaluating the amount of pesticide leftover after spraying. Tom Wolf of AgriMetrix and Sprayers 101 joins Kara Oosterhuis for this episode… Read More
Every conversation on soil health these days eventually comes around to the topic of organic matter. Does it really matter? What percentage should farmers have in their soil? How do you conserve organic matter? How do you build it? On this episode of Soil School, Bernard Tobin and University of Minnesota soil extension specialist Jodi… Read More
We know that phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) are needed in soybeans to achieve those high yields. But what’s the right soil test level of each of these macronutrients, what happens when there’s too much or too little, and how does that level affect soybean yield? To answer these questions, RealAg’s Bernard Tobin is joined… Read More
What’s the secret to growing those gigantic corn yields that turn a select few U.S. farmers into corn yield contest kings? Purdue University corn guru Dr. Bob Nielsen has been pouring over National Corn Yield Contest data and crop input and management summaries from winners for almost two decades. What has he learned? After all… Read More
The topic of soil health has gained a tremendous amount of followers over the last ten years. There’s a large, dynamic community devoted to the topic, too — from farmers and researchers, to consultants and extension specialists. Dr. Abbey Wick, extension soil health specialist and associate professor at North Dakota State University (NDSU), recently presented… Read More
Tillage destroys soil structure, cuts organic matter and decreases soil water infiltration. If that’s the case, reducing tillage makes sense, right? But the decision is not that simple, says Jodi DeJong-Hughes, University of Minnesota soil and tillage extension specialist. In her presentation at the virtual Ontario Agricultural Conference, DeJong-Hughes notes that there’s no hard and fast… Read More
The time of year where many are starting to plan for their 2021 growing season has begun, and at the end of the day, the markets will play into those decisions. While we need to be able to make a profit off of the crops we put so much effort into, we also can’t deny… Read More
If better seed singulation, metering, and depth control improve uniformity of wheat emergence, growth, and crop canopy, will that add up to more grain in the bin? That’s a question that was asked back in September and that Peter “Wheat Pete” Johnson and Joanna Follings have been striving to answer. In this Wheat School episode… Read More
Whether you’re an experienced soybean grower, or are looking to get into this interesting leguminous oilseed crop, there’s always something to learn. In this episode of Soybean School, we take a look back at the past year’s soybean season in Manitoba — what went right, what went wrong, and what kind of knowledge we gleaned… Read More
When it comes to marketing grain crops, we all seem to have different strategies, and there isn’t necessarily one ‘correct’ answer. In the late 2020 oilseeds market, we are seeing highs that haven’t been experienced in years. And the prices just keep climbing. Those that sold weeks ago at what they thought were the highs,… Read More
Corn rootworm, manure, and soybeans — farmers don’t often hear those three words in the same sentence but we’ve come to expect the unexpected in 2020. With growing resistance to corn rootworm traits in Ontario, many farmers who typically plant continuous corn will look to control the pest by expanding rotations to include soybeans. But… Read More
When it comes to planting soybeans, is spring tillage necessary? Can no-till soybeans handle the challenge that a cool, wet spring and heavy corn residue can throw at them? With 2020 in the books, it’s time to dig into some harvest data and find some answers to these questions. On this episode of Soybean School,… Read More