Wet soil, cold nights, weeds, disease, and nitrogen needs are all converging at once – what’s a wheat grower to do? As Ontario’s cold, soggy spring continues, deciding what to do next with the winter wheat crop can be a challenge, especially as the need to plant corn and soybeans becomes more pressing. In this… Read more »
Category: Seeding WSE
Wheat School: Shedding Pounds Makes Healthier Seeding Rate
Peter Johnson wishes farmers managed wheat more like corn. He admits that corn’s bigger yields and higher profitability creates more interest in intensively managing the crop, but that does not excuse growers from making good, basic wheat management decisions. One thing that drives Real Agriculture’s resident agronomist crazy is wheat growers who seed based on… Read more »
Wheat School: Making a Case for Perennial Wheat
Are you tired of planting wheat every year? What if you only had to plant the crop every four years? If those questions spark your interest, you won’t want to miss this episode of Real Agriculture’s Wheat School featuring Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada research scientist Jamie Larsen. He’s working to develop perennial wheat that would grow… Read more »
Wheat School: Understanding Those Higher Yields in Your Fields
Every wheat farmer has watched with glee as the number on their yield monitor jumps 20 to 50 bushels as the combine travels through the field. In this episode of Real Agriculture Wheat School, agronomist Phil Needham of Needham AG Technologies offers advice on how farmers can drill down through yield maps and soil tests… Read more »
Wheat School: ‘Real’ Wheat Farmers — Barry and Tyler McBlain Aim for a 160 Bu/Ac Average
Ontario farmers rarely see the yield monitor hit 240 bushels in their wheat crop. But Barry and Tyler McBlain hit that number in 2016. What’s even more amazing is that it happened on the tough clay soils southeast of Brantford in Brant County. In this episode of “Real Wheat Farmers”, agronomist Peter Johnson talks with… Read more »
Wheat School: Can Winter Wheat Get Too Big?
Ontario’s winter wheat crop is growing like gangbusters thanks to unseasonably warm fall temperatures. But could it grow too much? “No way,” says agronomist Peter Johnson in Real Agriculture’s latest Wheat School episode. “The only thing we have to worry about is if it’s still growing on Christmas Eve, like last year.” In that case… Read more »
Wheat School: Trade Soy for Wheat and Make $40 per Acre
Would you trade $50 of soybeans for $90 of wheat? Real Agriculture resident agronomist Peter Johnson thinks you should. In this Wheat School episode, Johnson shares his key takeaway from this year’s record Ontario wheat crop, which is pegged at an estimated average of 96 to 98 bushels per acre, 20 percent above the historical… Read more »
Wheat School: Boost Yields With Seed-Placed Phosphorus
Looking to add 15 to 20 bushels to your winter wheat yield? Depending on your base fertility level, seed-placed phosphorus could do the trick. In this episode of Wheat School, Real Agriculture resident agronomist Peter Johnson takes you on a tour of long-term phosphorus and potash trials at Lucan, Ontario. “In these research trials, we’re… Read more »
Wheat School: How Many of Your Seeds Survived to Become Viable Plants?
How many of the seeds put in the ground by your airseeder or drill will actually emerge and become viable plants? Seedling mortality can vary greatly, but needs to be considered when determining seeding rates, assessing emergence and when planning for next year. A 5 to 10 percent mortality rate is often assumed when calculating… Read more »
Wheat School: To Treat or Not to Treat, Is It a Question?
For some growers, treating wheat seed is a no-brainer, while others still choose to forego a treatment and the input cost that comes with it. So how do you decide? With seeding ramping up for another spring, Pam de Rocquigny, cereal crop specialist with Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Development, joins us in the field… Read more »
Wheat School: Managing Ontario’s “Incredible” Winter Crop
Peter Johnson was practically giddy as he walked through wheat fields on a beautiful November day near Woodstock, Ontario. “We’ve got big acreage of wheat and big yield potential. How could Wheat Pete be any happier,” pronounced Real Agriculture’s resident agronomist as he digested the fact that Ontario farmers have planted almost 1 million acres… Read more »
Wheat School: Seeding Rates — Cut Back Early, Bump Up Late
RealAgriculture agronomist Peter Johnson is all smiles these days as the warm fall continues to give farmers an opportunity to plant winter wheat into optimum growing conditions. But with bean and soybean harvest progressing rapidly, Johnson says farmers have to be mindful of seeding rates to ensure they’re not creating headaches down the road. “If… Read more »
Wheat School: Seize the Fall! Peter Johnson’s Top Winter Wheat Planting Tips
It’s been a tough few years for winter wheat in Ontario, not necessarily because of the summer season, but because of the late and wet falls farmers have struggled with for the last two seasons. The fallout from a rough harvest is two-fold when it comes to winter wheat — the crop gets put in… Read more »
Wheat School: Late Planted Soybeans Are Holding Up Wheat Acres — What Are Your Options?
We’re staring down the Thanksgiving weekend and harvested soybean fields are few and far between. All these late soybeans are holding up wheat acres — if you want to get wheat in, does it pay to get creative? In this episode of the Wheat School, Peter Johnson, cereal specialist for the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture,… Read more »
Wheat School: Yes, YOU Must be Putting Phos Down With Wheat!
Do you put down starter fertilizer with your winter wheat? If not, Peter Johnson, cereal specialist with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, wants to know what you’re waiting for. “We’ve done a whole bunch more analysis of the (trial) data…and if you have a low soil test and don’t apply phosphorus… Read more »