Growing soybeans in Ontario in 2016 was a real nail biter. Even Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs soybean specialist Horst Bohner admits to being pretty nervous as the soybean crop struggled through a dry July. Many farmers were lucky when rains arrived in August, but a good portion of the province –… Read More

How much yield can you expect from double-cropped soybeans? In 2016, harvested yields from across Ontario have ranged from 25 to 45 bushels per acre. In the final episode of our Soybean School series on double cropping, Real Agriculture agronomist Peter Johnson and Syngenta agronomist Eric Richter return to Embro, Ontario, farmer Ian Matheson’s field… Read More

If agriculture wants to reduce the potential impact neonicotinoid seed treatments have on pollinators, it has to modify standard vacuum planters. That’s the verdict from Ridgetown College, University of Guelph researcher Dr. Art Schaafsma. “Essentially, what we’ve created is a drift problem,” says Schaafsma, who spoke publicly about his research for the first time last… Read More

With the June 30 crop insurance deadline approaching, many Ontario farmers are wondering what they should do with their soybeans. Across the province, fields are struggling as seed lays in the ground in varying states of delayed emergence due to drought conditions. In this episode of Real Agriculture Soybean School, Pride Seeds Market Agronomist Ken… Read More

A simple recipe for double crop soybean success during the hot, dry summer might be “seed to moisture and pray for rain.” But it’s not that simple says Syngenta agronomist Eric Richter, one of Canada’s leading experts on the double crop system. In this episode of Soybean School, Richter joins RealAgriculture resident agronomist Peter Johnson… Read More

With Ontario’s winter wheat crop marching quickly to maturity, many growers are asking whether summer 2016 is a good time to try their hand at double cropping soybeans. In the first of a two-part Soybean School, Real Agriculture resident agronomist Peter Johnson and Syngenta agronomist Eric Richter, one of Canada’s leading experts on the double… Read More

Many soybeans growers will throw away the calendar and plant as early as possible this spring. That strategy works for agronomist Deb Campbell just as long as farmers pay close attention to soil conditions and the forecast. “These days, if we’re able to plant corn we can plant soybeans – ground conditions are very similar… Read More

If you haven’t tested your soil for soybean cyst nematode (SCN) lately, it may be time to take a closer look. The yield-robbing pest is quietly expanding its traditional southwestern Ontario footprint to more northern areas of Huron County and as far east as Quebec. In this episode of Real Agriculture’s Soybean School, Syngenta agronomist… Read More