Knowing your soil and accepting your climatic challenges for what they are is key to choosing the right crops, cover crops, and soil amendments that will perform best. That said, sometimes it takes a major event to push for significant changes to the current status quo. Jenn Doelman farms at Douglas, Ont., and is a… Read More
Tar spot, a new corn leaf disease, has moved through the U.S. Midwest, into Michigan and Wisconsin, and now sits at the doorstep of Ontario’s corn growing region. 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 acre… Read More
Could fungicide resistance develop on your farm? The answer to that question really depends on how you deploy fungicides in your fields, says Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada research scientist Kelly Turkington. On this episode of RealAgriculture’s Resistance Management School, Turkington explains that fungicide resistance really is a numbers game. He notes that a barley or… Read More
The man who wrote the book on wheat production in the United Kingdom says it’s time to throw away that production guide and adopt a new approach to higher wheat yields. Roger Sylvester-Bradley, who leads the crop performance research team at ADAS Consulting, believes researchers need to learn from the tremendous yield variability they see… Read More
United Kingdom farmers have a strong yen for higher wheat yields, and they’re turning to yield enhancement networks (YEN) to help them satisfy their craving. YENs are the brainchild of the research scientists at ADAS, a UK-based independent agricultural and environmental consultancy. “It’s kind of a competition, but the main focus is sharing information between… Read More
Georgia farmer Randy Dowdy established a new world record yield for soybeans in 2019, setting the bar at 190 bushel per acre on a 3.27 acre plot. While Dowdy now reigns as the ‘yield king’, Missouri farmer Kip Cullers helped blaze the trail for contest yield winners when he put up a 160.6 bushel per acre… Read More
Corn growers in the mid-south and Midwest U.S. are being asked to take a closer look at diseased corn leaves as re-emerging diplodia leaf streak pushes into major corn growing states. The disease looks very similar to northern corn leaf blight (NCLB), a leaf disease Canadian growers typically identify based on its characteristic cigar-shaped lesions…. Read More
When it comes to corn fertility and higher yield, nitrogen is the star of the corn production show. But Carleton Place, Ont., farmer Mark Foster and agronomist Paul Sullivan feel it’s time potash received its share of the spotlight. At the SouthWest Agricultural Conference earlier this month, the pair shared how they have unleashed the… Read More
Add wheat to your crop rotation and it will increase corn and soybean yields, put more money in your pocket, improve soil health, and make your soil more resilient. That’s a big, bold statement but University of Guelph-Ridgetown professor Dave Hooker can prove it. All the data comes from a 25 year long-term tillage and… Read More
For years, Tim Williams has dutifully planted crops to the edge of the trees and bush that line the fields he farms near Petrolia, Ont. Every year, he looks at his yield maps to see the same red line indicating no crop yield in these areas that hug the bush and woodlots. But today there… Read More
Five years ago, Carl Brubacher decided it was time to change how he manages soil on his Arthur, Ont., hog and grain farm. With highly variable soil ranging from sand to heavy clay, he was determined to improve soil health and make the farm more sustainable. In this premiere episode of RealAgriculture’s Soil School, sponsored… Read More
Is 100 bushels per acre a reality for Ontario soybeans? If so, what can Ontario growers do to push soybean yields to the next level? Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs soybean specialist Horst Bohner believes one of the keys to making the yield jump is getting more nutrition into the soybean plant…. Read More
Changing weather patterns played havoc with corn planting and harvest in 2019 and they also affected insect cycles and how pests impacted the crop. Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs entomologist Tracey Baute notes that the cold, wet spring had a big impact on western bean cutworm (WBC). A significant reduction in early-season… Read More
If you’re a farmer on the prairies, there’s a good chance falling number at the elevator was brought up at least once over harvest. With that in mind, this episode of RealAgriculture’s Wheat School is focused on better understanding falling number and what — if anything — you can do when it comes to variety… Read More
Fungicides play a key role in helping manage disease in pulse crops across the Prairies. But growers need to be vigilant to prevent fungicide resistance and ensure they have the tools required to fight yield-robbing diseases, says Alberta Agriculture and Forestry pulse research scientist Robyne Bowness Davidson. On this episode of RealAgriculture’s Resistance Management School,… Read More