There’s a concerning trend in Ontario’s soils: organic matter is being depleted. The decrease may seem small — about 0.8% over 12 years — but organic matter is vital to soil’s water holding capacity, nutrient-cycling ability, and compaction resiliency, to name just a few roles. What’s more, replacing lost soil organic matter is a slow,… Read More

As the winter learning season rolls forward, the agronomy questions are flooding in, and Peter Johnson, host of Wheat Pete’s Word, wouldn’t have it any other way. In this week’s episode, Johnson tackles some very complicated — but super important — ins and outs of nitrogen management. Confused about which crops leave a credit and why… Read More

Changes to the 2017 Farmland Health Incentive Program (FHIP) will create an even greater focus on managing water quality in the western and central Lake Erie basin. For the past two years, FHIP, part of the Great Lakes Agricultural Stewardship Initiative (GLASI), has focused on supporting and funding Ontario farmer stewardship efforts in an area… Read More

Cover crops will make you a better farmer, but don’t let them cost you yield. That’s the message Real Agriculture agronomist Peter Johnson wants to deliver as he surveys a growing body of cover crop research. In this video, Johnson touts the benefits of cover crops – from better soil health and increased organic matter,… Read More

Despite a tough year, there are reports of Ontario elevators running at full capacity or right full. Some farmers are reporting a record wheat and soybean year, which explains the full delivery points, but as harvest winds down many farmers will be happy with average, at best. That’s where we start with this week’s Wheat Pete’s Word,… Read More

Everything old is new again. That’s certainly the case when it comes to interseeding cover crops into corn. In this episode of Real Agriculture’s Corn School, University of Guelph-Ridgetown College researcher David Hooker unearths some historic evidence of Ontario farmers’ and researchers’ fascination with cover crops and their efforts to interseed them in growing cornfields…. Read More