As wheat heads first emerge from the boot, the clock starts ticking — from fully emerged you’ve got about six days to protect the head from the dreaded fusarium head blight. Farmers should target a fungicide application to coincide with heads on 75% of plants at around Day 2 to Day 4. Not sure what… Read More
Category: Wheat School – East
There’s nothing quite like nasty perennial weeds going to seed in your winter wheat field to kill the buzz of the spring planting season. But heading out now to try and target these pests is a lesson in futility — the time to control perennial and winter annual weeds is in the fall. But, as… Read More
What’s the top end of nitrogen application for wheat in Ontario? Can I count on a yield response to a sulphur application? Is a split N application the way to go, and, if so, how much goes on in the beginning? These are very important wheat management questions, and ones that are currently being researched… Read More
Timing a spring tillage operation can be particularly challenging when the weather decides to be rather uncooperative for a timely planting season. And while cool or wet conditions can have you stressed out about the need to get on the field, heading out too soon on wet soil can have season-long negative effects. As Jim… Read More
When the time comes to put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) and look at the hard numbers behind the corn, soybeans and wheat in your rotation, it’s important to give each crop the credit it deserves. The truth is that when you run that rotation, unless you’re digging deep, wheat probably isn’t getting… Read More
Not only does wheat bump corn and soy yields when included in rotation, but adding the crop also means the nitrogen used in that rotation goes further. What does that really mean? Well, at least one way to look at it is that you can still hit high yields in a continuous corn or corn-soy… Read More
There are some topics, like fungicide responses or herbicide efficacy comparisons, that really only need a few years of work before you can begin to draw conclusions. Other agronomic considerations, like crop rotations and tillage practices, require years and years of data to fully capture the value of a particular tactic. Ontario has two long-term… Read More
Everyone loves a good challenge. The Grain Farmers of Ontario 2012 spring wheat challenge recently awarded top prize to Del Cressman, from Listowel, Ont., for his 112 bu/ac average crop. Breaking and surpassing 100 bushels per acre while maintaining protein doesn’t happen by chance, of course. In this video, Cressman outlines the management factors and… Read More
Spring wheat may not be the highest acreage crop in Ontario, but it’s still an important crop for many, especially for those who need or sell straw. Choosing the right spring wheat variety takes a bit of research, but that research is easy to do with GoCereals.ca. In this video, Peter Johnson, OMAFRA’s wheat specialist,… Read More
The standard 90 pounds of nitrogen on wheat in Ontario just doesn’t cut it anymore. That’s according to OMAFRA Wheat Specialist Peter Johnson. Johnson noted that some of the top growers in Ontario are using anywhere from 130 to 150 lb of nitrogen applied to ground that doesn’t have residual nitrogen from a cover crop…. Read More
Uniform seeding at a consistent depth is the first step to a banner wheat crop, but the first mistake many farmers make — seeding too deep — hurts them twice over. Wheat seeded too deep means fewer plants emerge and those that do are slower to grow and produce fewer tillers. It’s an issue for… Read More
Shopping around for farm equipment can be a little daunting. Every manufacturer makes claims that their equipment is the best and the best fit for you. While you may have an idea what you want, the actual performance of that equipment can only be seen once you’re in the field. That can leave farmers with… Read More
In the first part of our interview with MAFRI Cereal Specialist Pam de Rocquigny we spoke about some of the critical elements involved in seeding winter wheat: 1. What kind of stubble you’re going to seed into. 2. How deep you should seed. 3. Weed and volunteer crop control. SEE MORE WHEAT SCHOOL. In this… Read More
A successful no-till system starts or stops at the combine. This according to Phil Needham of Needham Ag Technologies. As Phil explains, it’s the even spreading of the residue out of the combine that will allow for uniform depth at seeding and uniform emergence as well as other benefits to your crop. SEE MORE WHEAT… Read More
In the last episode of the Wheat School, we spoke with wheat specialist Peter Johnson about some of the problems producers can face when they plant winter wheat early. This time around, Pete offers some advice on how to give that wheat the best possible chance at the point of planting. SEE MORE WHEAT SCHOOL…. Read More