One of the big questions surrounding the Ontario corn crop of 2019 is whether plant roots can push through tough planting conditions and continue to feed the plant throughout the growing season. On this episode of the RealAgriculture Corn School, agronomist Peter Johnson takes a look at the challenges root systems faced in one of… Read More
Across Ontario, a growing percentage of soil tests are testing lower for nutrients. It’s a trend growers need to be aware of, and there’s a role for wheat to play in addressing the decline. Jack Legg, SGS Agri-Food Laboratories agronomist based at Guelph, says his lab and the International Plant Nutrition Institute, which conducts sampling… Read More
Starter fertilizer can give a corn crop some early-season punch, but if you’re not careful with application rates those new plants could get knocked out by fertilizer burn. Banding fertilizer in a 2-by-2 band beside the seed promotes early growth and vigour but too much nutrient too close to the seed can injure roots and… Read More
What’s good for wheat growth is good for wheat midge, says research scientist Tyler Wist, of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, based at Saskatoon, Sask. What’s more, these tiny pests can cause big issues, even in very low numbers, so scouting is one key aspect of management. In this edition of RealAgriculture’s Wheat School, Wist also… Read More
Will 2019 be a soybean aphid year? With a short, late-developing crop that lacks a dense canopy, growers will have to be on the look out for the minuscule, light green, pear-shaped pests, says Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs entomologist Tracey Baute. With smaller plants, it doesn’t take as many aphids to… Read More
Western bean cutworm (WBC) moths typically hit peak flight this week in Ontario — but not this year. Cold, wet spring conditions across the province not only delayed crop planting and development but also put the squeeze on the mating and flight patterns of the yield-robbing pest. On this episode of RealAgriculture’s Corn School, Ontario… Read More
Besides just the sheer work of moving through crops on foot (and, in some cases, trying not to get lost in them), scouting can prove difficult in just deciding what path to walk. Drone technology is changing that. According to Adrian Moens of AJM Seeds, using drones to map a field prior to scouting gives… Read More
After a wet spring, the weather has turned hot and dry in Ontario and that could mean a proliferation of pests in soybean fields across the province. On this episode of RealAgriculture Soybean School, Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs entomologist Tracey Baute says a change in the weather will likely bring on… Read More
Soybean growers looking for cover crops that can deliver soil health benefits and weed suppression without a yield hit may want to consider planting into cereal rye. Based on Ontario testing conducted in 2017 and 2018, planting soybeans into standing rye doesn’t hurt your soybean yields, says Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs… Read More
It may have been a dry start to the year, with little to name of seedling diseases, but that doesn’t mean canola producers are off the disease-scouting hook this summer. According to Clint Jurke, agronomy director with the Canola Council of Canada, due to the last four weeks of higher precipitation levels over the Prairies,… Read More
New Zealand doesn’t share a lot in common with Canada, however, when it comes to growing high-yielding wheat Kiwi growers do count on similar management practices to put big-bushel wheat crops in the bin. Syngenta commercial products lead Sam Livesey, a New Zealand native, concedes that the country’s wheat industry is diminutive (135,000 acres) but… Read More
Difficult planting conditions across Ontario this spring are set to test growers yet again as corn fungicide application timing approaches. On this episode of the RealAgriculture Corn School, Ridgetown College, University of Guelph professor Dave Hooker explains that growers looking to control gibberella ear rot can expect a 50 per cent reduction in DON when… Read More
Fusarium head blight is one of the most harmful diseases of wheat and also one of the most challenging to manage. Researchers are continuously trying to figure out the best control methods since it’s one of those diseases that if you see it in your crop, you are most likely too late. In this Wheat… Read More
The debate continues across the Prairies on whether or not to straight-cut canola. While some producers have been doing it for years, the process can be a bit daunting for others who have been considering the option. Shawn Senko, agronomy specialist with the Canola Council of Canada, says in this Canola School episode that if… Read More
Ontario’s winter wheat crop has been fighting an uphill battle ever since last fall and the struggle will likely continue right through to harvest. On this episode of the RealAgriculture Wheat School, agronomist Peter Johnson explains that the highly variable crop will likely mean harvesting headaches. Last week at the University of Guelph’s Ridgetown College… Read More