The Canadian Grain Commission is outlining its new science strategy, which details the organization’s goals and desired outcomes for grain science. Leading up to the release of the new strategy, the CGC received feedback from stakeholders — industry, organizations, academia, and other departments — as well as from an internal consultation. Esther Salvano, director general… Read More
Category: Crop Production
Lethbridge College has been busy digging in to new research initiatives, including work into irrigation. The Mueller Irrigation Research Group at the college, headed up by Dr. Willemijn Appels, has been focusing on three main areas of precision irrigation as of late: canal systems, subsurface drip irrigation, and variable rate irrigation. Appels spoke recently at… Read More
Back in November, SeedMaster launched a contest where a canola grower in Western Canada would win everything they need to grow a whole quarter section of canola. The winner of the contest, announced on RealAg Radio, is Ken Krywko of Sturgeon County, Alberta. As part of the winning package, Krywko, who farms with his sons… Read More
If soybeans need a cozy warm seedbed to get rolling, tillage is a must, right? Well, no and no. Emerging research suggests that cool soil isn’t nearly the detriment to soybean growth once thought, which also means working an entire field for spring “warm up” isn’t required either. To dig in to managing residue ahead… Read More
Nitrogen fertilizer applied to land can be lost a few ways — and every pound lost can hurt the pocket book, but some losses are far more of a risk than others, depending on where and how you farm. What’s more, some of those N losses occur in relatively benign losses to the environment. For… Read More
Over last few weeks I’ve had the opportunity to bounce around from conference to conference, learning on topics ranging from no-till, to canola production, to irrigation. On a glance these three topics may not have a ton in common, but as January wraps up (already!?) it’s got me thinking about some of the common themes…. Read More
A drone designed specifically for broadacre aerial applications of pesticides was on display at Manitoba Ag Days, at Brandon, Man., earlier this month. With some features different than the typical rotary drones you see out there now, the hybrid drone has a vertical takeoff and land. As Don Campbell, of ROGA Drone Ltd., explains in… Read More
Weather is the biggest variable farmers face, and as many have seen throughout their career, too much or too little of something can seriously wreak some havoc. Andrew Pritchard, senior meteorologist with Nutrien, spoke earlier this week at the Northern Pulse Growers Association AGM, at Minot, North Dakota, to discuss the weather outlook for 2023…. Read More
Are drop hoses that travel through the canopy the best way to apply in-crop fungicides? That’s a question Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) application technology specialist Jason Deveau has worked on for the past four years. It all started in 2019 when Deveau joined forces with OMAFRA plant pathologist Albert Tenuta… Read More
Wider row spacing in cereals has traditionally been associated with lower yields, but SeedMaster says its SeedMaster Ultra-SR provides 15-inch spacing with no yield loss when used in cereals. Tim Criddle, global sales director for SeedMaster, took time at the Western Canada Crop Production Show to discuss the new drill with RealAg’s Atley Hamlin. In the… Read More
The federal government has made it clear it will not return fertilizer tariff funds directly to farmers who paid the tax, and the Ontario Federation of Agriculture has three other suggestions for how the federal government can spend the more than $34 million collected. Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Marie-Claude Bibeau and Minister of Finance… Read More
The Alberta Canola Producer Commission is prioritizing grower engagement and taking the initiative to communicate with policy makers, says Roger Chevraux, chair of Alberta Canola, RealAgriculture’s Kara Oosterhuis spoke with Chevraux at the first annual Alberta Canola Conference at Lethbridge, Alta., held last week. Chevraux says the board realized a couple years ago that there… Read More
Every day is a good day to phone a friend and see how they are doing, but especially today, when mental wellness is in the spotlight: make sure to use your Wheat Pete 15! And on that note, we begin this week’s episode of Wheat Pete’s Word, where host Peter Johnson answers your questions on… Read More
The Successors is a RealAgriculture podcast series hosted by Kara Oosterhuis focusing on agriculture from the perspective of the up-and-coming generation. If you sit down and talk to many of our parents and grandparents, they will remember harvesting potatoes from the garden growing up, and getting rid of the small, undersized potatoes. Flash forward to… Read More
Winter is a great time to recalibrate your approach to managing wheat diseases and applying fungicides. That’s the message Penn State University plant pathologist Alyssa Collins shared with agronomists attending the Ontario Certified Crop Advisors annual meeting earlier this month. It’s a dormant period for humans and also for fungi and plants, says Collins. “So… Read More