It’s been a tough year for growers in the west — some crops are getting by rain to rain, and some are relying on soil moisture alone with the chance of rain being a hope. Drought can affect silage quality and yield, obviously, but how can smoke from wildfires affect the corn crop? Sara Meidlinger,… Read More
Proper staging is critical when applying in-crop herbicides in corn, but there are multiple ways to measure corn’s growth stages, and herbicide labels don’t always use the same method. Agronomists often use the “leaf collar” — or V-stage — method to describe growth stages, while others use plant height. However, herbicide labels often refer to… Read More
Early-season corn scouting requires a little bit of time and attention, but can really pay off for the rest of the year and even into the next. Sara Meidlinger, market development specialist with Pride Seeds for Western Canada, joins Kara Oosterhuis for this Corn School episode. Scout representative areas of the field including good and… Read More
Precipitation, in both the frozen and liquid form, has been scarce in a large part of the northern corn growing areas of North America, creating the prospect of planting into a possible drought. There are several choices a grower can make to help maximize water use and mitigate drought risk, explains Alana Serhan, market development… Read More
Have you ever wondered just exactly how your corn develops in the cob? Understanding how corn makes a cob, successful kernels, and packs in starch can be a key component of an agronomic plan. “This top part is the tassel, and that is the male part of the plant,” says Sara Meidlinger, market development agronomist… Read More
Grain corn acres in Western Canada this year might be down, but there’s potential for some big yields, assuming the crop can avoid late season pitfalls. “For growers who held onto those acres, they’re going to be rewarded, no doubt. Grain corn crops here in southern Manitoba look especially strong,” says Alana Serhan, market development… Read More
A three-year trial conducted by Farming Smarter on grain corn production under dryland conditions in four Alberta locations is yielding some interesting results. The trial at Lethbridge, Vauxhall, Bow Island, and Medicine Hat, was conducted between 2015 and 2017, and included agronomic factors that may affect dryland grain corn production, including plant population, row spacing,… Read More
Corn fields across Ontario are full of variable plant development and that should be a concern for growers, says University of Guelph crop researcher Dr. David Hooker. Fields are littered with areas of yield-compromising backward and slow-to-develop plants. Hooker believes corn variability is even more apparent this year due to significant weather challenges; with cold… Read More
Tillers are a totally normal physiological process in corn — since it is a grass like wheat or barley — and they’re nothing to be concerned about. They’re also nothing to get excited about either, as unlike wheat or barley, tillers don’t contribute to yield. In this episode of Corn School (this time in the… Read More
All the “knee-high by the first (or fourth) of July” photos have been posted on social media, with the crop looking nice from above; but what’s going on below the canopy? Now is the time to check weed populations and assess herbicide performance, says Jeanette Gaultier, senior technical services specialist with BASF, joining us for… Read More
If you applied a pre-emergent herbicide before planting your corn and didn’t get the moisture to activate it, don’t despair and don’t feel like you’ve thrown some money down the drain. You still get weed control during that critical weed-free period, says Rob Miller, technical development manager with BASF. As you can see in this… Read More
The hangover effects from a wet fall are giving farmers in parts of Western Canada a headache this spring. Saturated soil conditions right until freeze-up forced fieldwork that normally happens in fall to be delayed until spring. As a result, heavy harrows, vertical tillage machines, traditional cultivators, and even fire — all the tools in… Read More
Producers across the country are beginning to get into the fields and getting that corn seed in the ground. When it comes to planting corn, getting that seedbed prepped is imperative to ensuring a steady start — whether you are growing silage or grain corn. A key to this is ensuring your soil temperature is… Read More
If you aren’t in the field yet, chances are you are itching to get out there and get the tires rolling. This is probably especially true if you are fearing early frost come harvest season. Alana Serhan, market development specialist with PRIDE Seeds, says that before you even consider taking that corn seed out of… Read More
Corn is moving into new territory — mainly west and north — but the agronomic information farmers in these new areas rely on is still largely based on data from places such as Illinois and Iowa. This has provided a basis for new corn farmers to get started, but there are a lot of differences… Read More