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
What type of return on investment do farmers realize when they make a long-term commitment to planting cover crops on their farm? That question can be tough to answer. In many cases, the payback can’t be calculated using only dollars and cents; better soil heath, the benefits of increased water-holding capacity, and a soil’s ability… Read More
You may not have heard of the Western Canada Canola/Rapeseed Recommending Committee (WCCRRC), but the organization is responsible for setting the framework for canola variety recommendations and the testing system for varieties for western Canada. “Their job is to provide guidance and oversight to the program that I administer on behalf of the WCCRRC as… Read More
More diverse crop rotations are better, agronomically speaking, but economically speaking, the story is not always so clear. Cash flow in the immediate term sometimes takes centre stage when growing a high-profit crop such as canola. But what if growing a more diverse rotation was just as profitable as growing canola in a one-in-two, or… Read More
Glyphosate-resistant waterhemp was first identified in Ontario in 2014. Since that time the weed, which hails from the pigweed family, has spread across the province with confirmed sightings in 14 counties in 2019. To make matters more troubling, waterhemp resistance continues to grow beyond glyphosate, and now includes multiple resistance to Group 2, 5, 9… Read More
Farmers work hard to maximize fertilizer applications, both for economic and environmental reasons. Making sure all that money spent in fertilizer gets turned into crop — not lost as greenhouse gas emissions — is a key concept in today’s farming practices. “We want to make sure a producer is realizing value from every gram of… Read More
Sixty-inch spacing for corn is sure not for everyone, but the math and soil conservation rewards can work for farmers who have limited rotations and can benefit from extended grazing for livestock on well-established cover crops. That’s Sunderland, Ontario, farmer Ed Hanson’s takeaway from the first year of growing corn in 60-inch rows on his… Read More
Testing wheat seed for fungal disease is important for a few reasons. A basic seed test for germination and vigour will tell you how viable that seed is, but if your germination rate is down, a basic test won’t tell you why it’s down. With low germ, you may have to increase the seeding rate,… Read More
Today is World Soil Day, and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has dedicated this year’s celebration to soil biodiversity. The slogan for this year: “Keep soil alive, protect soil biodiversity.” Closer to home, the Canadian Society of Soil Science’s goals for today’s celebrations are to draw attention to the importance of… Read More
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