Testing for DON in Ontario’s 2018 corn crop was an incredibly frustrating process for growers. With gibberella ear rot infecting a wide swath of corn in the province, many growers were exasperated when samples from the same load of corn taken from a field would show wide variation in DON levels — sometimes from 3… Read More
From frost risks in the west, to nitrogen deficient corn in the east, and insect and weed issues in between, there’s no shortage of agronomic questions to tackle this week on Wheat Pete’s Word. In this edition, host Peter ‘Wheat Pete’ Johnson shares some of what farmers are seeing in their fields this week as… Read More
Harvest is a stressful time of year — things have to get done, but it’s not a time for cutting corners when it comes to farm safety. That’s the message Rob Gobeil, health and safety specialist for the Canadian Agriculture Safety Association (CASA), shared when he visited with RealAg Radio host Shaun Haney earlier this… Read More
Corn needs about 55 to 60 calendar days to go from tassel to black layer… but that holds true, generally speaking for Ontario, if tasseling happens in mid-July. RealAgriculture resident agronomist Peter Johnson says that because that 60 “days” is really a measure of heat accumulation, hitting black layer when tasseling starts in early August… Read More
Did you know that soil helps to remove carbon dioxide from our atmosphere, helps to clean water as it percolates through, and is filled with living organisms? Our soil and its health isn’t just imperative to agriculture — but to many other aspects of our ever-growing population. Jim Tokarchuk, executive director with the Soil Conservation… Read More
It’s the start of the week and that means it’s time for another edition of agronomic Monday on RealAg Radio! Today on the show: RealAgriculture’s in-house agronomist, Peter ‘Wheat Pete’ Johnson joins host Shaun Haney to talk all things agronomy including: wacky weather, corn maturity, spider mites, a compaction day and, of course, as always,… Read More
Could 2019 be another ‘gibb’ year for corn growers? That’s a question RealAgriculture agronomist Peter Johnson encounters almost daily. When asked, he says there’s “not a chance” of the widespread gibberella outbreak Ontario growers experienced in 2018. However, he notes that “in isolated areas, we do have a high risk of gibberella ear rot infection… Read More
Chances are you’ve never decanted window cleaner and blue raspberry gatorade side-by-side, but if you did, you’d likely be shocked at the similarity. In fact, many chemicals bear striking resemblances to palatable substances, particularly to a child’s eye. And that was one of the messages brought to Saskatchewan by the Canadian Agricultural Safety Association (CASA)… Read More
As if Alberta’s northern region hadn’t had enough adversity this growing season, social media filled with reports of frost over the weekend. Christi Friesen, a farmer in the province’s Peace Country, tweeted a picture confirming the frost early Saturday morning, writing that the barley and wheat (early milk to early dough stage) were officially hit…. Read More
When it comes to corn production, is 2019 a year to forget or a year to remember? For RealAgriculture’s Peter Johnson, it’s a year to learn. On this episode of RealAgriculture Corn School we catch up with Johnson at Diagnostic Days at Ridgetown College, University of Guelph, where our resident agronomist is busy digging up… Read More
When it comes to growing hemp, one of the more top-of-mind risks for producers is crop establishment — how do I grow this crop, and what on earth do I do when it comes to harvesting it? Jeff Kostuik, director of operations in central Canada and the U.S.for Hemp Genetics International (HGI), says that hemp… Read More
Every year, many canola producers seem to face the same challenge across the board — how do we manage all these flea beetles? The answer to this question is quite often pointed towards one main action — seed treatments. In this episode of the Canola School, Gregory Sekulic, agronomy specialist with the Canola Council of… Read More
For the third year in a row, RBC Bank is looking for farmers to enter its Feast in the Field contest. Producers from across Canada who meet the criteria can enter to win a catered five-course meal by celebrity chef, Corbin Tomaszeski in the comfort of their own farm yard for 49 of their family… Read More
Sylvite, with five agri-retail locations throughout Ontario, has reached an agreement with The Andersons, Inc., — the owners of Thompsons Limited, to buy Thompsons’ agronomy business. According to Thompsons, the agreement comes after a 35 year working relationship with Sylvite. The details of the agreement are still being finalized, and the sale is expected to… Read More
Farmers who buy Brevant and Pioneer Hi-Bred seed had a chance to choose the Liberty Link trait for the first time in 2019. Up until now, Corteva’s lines (formerly Dow and DuPont) offered RoundUp Ready and Clearfield traits. As Trevor Herzog, Pioneer Hi-Bred agronomist for Corteva Agriscience, explains, the inclusion of the Liberty Link traits… Read More