When it comes to strong soybean plant establishment, growers often focus on seeding rates, seeding depth, and tillage. Those are all important management practices, but Horst Bohner emphasizes the need for growers to also set up and run their planter or drill effectively, to produce optimal plant stands that deliver top yields. On this episode… Read More
Do you need to manage herbicide-resistant weeds? Could you use more flexibility during the busy planting season? Does heavy weed pressure make it difficult to keep fields clean early in the season? These are all questions growers should be asking as they plan their 2021 soybean weed control programs, says BASF technical development manager Rob… Read More
Planning concerns for next year’s pulse crops stem mostly from disease concerns, especially aphanomyces. 2020 was a really wet year, and there were pockets that saw a lot of moisture, which resulted in increased roots rots and that nasty soil-borne disease — such as aphanomyces — which makes planning for the future crucial. “We saw… Read More
If you’ve been scouting your wheat fields and seeing some strange colours in Ontario, you’re probably not alone, and there may be a pretty simple explanation for it. We’re back in the field for another update with Joanna Follings, cereal specialist with the Ontario Ministery of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and RealAg’s Peter “Wheat… 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
Post-harvest is a great time to begin planning for next year’s canola crops, and a good time to evaluate how the growing season went. Choosing the right canola hybrid for your fields is an important decision, and there are more than a few things to consider. In this episode of the Canola School, Nate Ort,… Read More
If the weather was in your favour this fall, and the canola is off, now is a great opportunity to review what went wrong or what went right with the crop. One way to get some insight is to do plant stand counts and some post-harvest scouting. “Despite the challenges that 2020 threw at us,… Read More
Resistance to Bt corn rootworm hybrids has developed in Ontario and growers are asking: what’s the best strategy to control the yield-robbing pest if in-seed technology fails? Resistance has been confirmed in several fields in Huron, Perth and Durham Counties in Ontario and the problem is likely even more widespread, says Tracey Baute, Ontario Ministry… Read More
Selecting the right hybrids can make or break the profitability of a corn crop. There are a multitude of factors that combine to produce high-yielding, profitable harvests, but if growers make the wrong hybrid choices they’ll need some luck and good fortune to produce a successful crop, says University of Guelph associate professor Dr. David… Read More
Before the freeze up, sprayer operators might be doing their routine winter maintenance and getting the unit ready for storage — but the more philosophical side of sprayer maintenance is sometimes forgotten about. Don’t worry, we don’t get too deep about spraying in this Pulse School episode, but Tom Wolf of Sprayers 101 and AgriMetrix… Read More
New sprayer operators — or seasoned sprayer operators who just need a refresher — might be wondering what to winterize their sprayer with, and how to do it. In this episode of Canola School, Tom Wolf of AgriMetrix and Sprayers 101, joins Kara Oosterhuis to talk about sprayer winterization — the technical side, and the… Read More
A land and cattle operation that includes consistent cover crops in a diverse cropping mix can offer several benefits, including improved soil fitness, better equipment and water holding capacity, and a decreased diesel fuel bill. In this episode of the Soil School, Bernard Tobin is joined by Elmwood, Ont.-based Ken Schaus from Schaus Land and… Read More
When Ontario growers detect high levels of soybean cyst nematodes (SCN) in their soils, sudden death syndrome (SDS) is usually not too far behind. On this episode of the Soybean School, we take a closer look at the two yield robbers, and how growers can help control SDS with more effective nematode management. PRIDE Seeds… Read More
Our resident agronomist Peter “Wheat Pete” Johnson and OMAFRA cereals specialist Joanna Follings hatched a nifty plan a little while back to test out precision planting wheat using four different drills at Follings’ farm at Ayr, Ont. (If you missed out on the seeding episode, you can find it here.) “We’re already seeing some really… Read More
As combines roll across Ontario, growers are harvesting impressive crops that in many cases are producing record yields. But with all that excitement, it’s important to remember the impact those huge yields will have on nutrient removal and what they take out of your soil bank account. On this episode of RealAgriculture’s Soil School, Brussels… Read More
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