The Herrema family have been giving back since Gary Herrema emigrated from Holland to farming country in Ontario’s Durham Region in 1949. The Uxbridge, Ont. farm family has always been active in local fairs, farm and community groups, and municipal politics. They also believe investing in their soil is vital for the health of their… Read More
Erosion could be an issue for pulse crop fields after harvest, especially if the header was set very low and there’s minimal residue leftover. Edible beans in particular are a tricky crop for “field aftercare” as there is very little residue left over, and harvest requires undercutting, increasing the potential for soil wind erosion. Scott… Read More
What’s the number one way to get great wheat yields in the east? Plant early! In this episode of RealAgriculture’s Wheat School, Peter “Wheat Pete” Johnson shares his tips for planting, and his insights on phosphorus, based on soil type and base fertility. “If you can plant wheat in September in Ontario, that’s almost always… Read More
As soybean harvest gears up across eastern Canada, many growers are reporting uneven maturity in fields. On this episode of RealAgriculture’s Soybean School, Bernard Tobin catches up with Horst Bohner, OMAFRA soybean specialist, to find out why fields are not ripening or senescing evenly. The first potential explanation is uneven spring emergence, says Bohner. This… Read More
Perennials and winter annuals like dandelions, shepherd’s purse, and even chickweed can be tough to control at the best of times. So, what can make a perennial and winter annual weed control strategy more effective in corn? Going back to a previous conversation between Rob Miller, agronomist at BASF, and Bernard Tobin about using tillage… Read More
Organic matter plays a key role in soil health, productivity, and resiliency. But building or replenishing organic matter can take a long time and a tremendous amount of organic material. On this episode of RealAgriculture’s Soil School we visit with Nicole Penney, precision ag manager for FS Partners in Ontario. Penney notes that it takes… Read More
The majority of the Prairie lentil crop has been harvested and some may be wondering what the market for the commodity holds. Marlene Boersch, managing partner of Mercantile Consulting Ventures (MCV), joins Kara Oosterhuis for this Pulse School episode to talk about what the global markets have in store for lentils. Boersch recently spoke at the… Read More
How does strip tillage impact a corn plant’s ability to access and take up nutrients? On this episode of RealAgriculture’s Corn School, Ben Rosser, corn lead at Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, looks at fertility research plots that compare how corn performs in both conventional tillage and spring strip tillage systems. In… Read More
When it comes to applying a pre-harvest burndown, getting in the field for an accurate pod assessment is crucial. When a harvest aid is applied at the appropriate time, it can work quickly. On this Soybean School episode, Bernard Tobin is joined by BASF agronomist Ken Currah in the field to talk staging soybeans for… Read More
When it comes to planting soybeans, and especially in dry conditions, depth can play an important role in setting the crop up for success. Some farmers stay at the one to one and half inch depth, while others may be betting on two and a half or even three inches to chase moisture. In this… Read More
Larry Dyck is trying to make tough soil a little less tough. It may sound like a simple objective, but it’s been a 40 year journey for the cash cropper, who operates Campden Grain with his son Ben, near Campden on Ontario’s Niagara peninsula. Dyck, a member of the Ontario Soil Network, first started no-tilling… Read More
Does it pay to invest in weed control in a dry year? When soil moisture is scarce, one way to help conserve it is to prevent weeds – they can rob the precious resource from emerging and growing plants. On this episode of RealAgriculture’s Soybean School, we travel to the BASF research and development site… Read More
Using clubroot resistant genetics and lengthening rotations are highly recommended practices for managing clubroot on the Prairies. But is there more farmers could do? “Ninety per cent of those clubroot spores can die with a two-year break, so one in three rotation, that’s really critical, if you have a shorter rotation than that, and you’re… Read More
Corn is often described as a diva. It can thrive in the right conditions, but it does not like competition. That’s especially evident when corn plants have to compete with weeds for moisture in dry conditions, as seen in Western Canada and the Northern Plains of the U.S. in 2021. “There have been many studies… Read More
Whether undercutting or direct harvesting edible beans, a pre-harvest application of a desiccant can allow for a quicker harvest, while protecting yield and quality. Proper desiccation timing is critical for maximizing the crop’s potential, explains Calem Alexander, field marketer with Hensall Co-op, in this Edible Bean School episode focused on setting the crop up for… Read More