Multicoloured wheat? At this stage in late May, winter wheat should be dark green and uniform, going flat out as it comes into head. However, many wheat fields across Ontario are showing every shade of green imaginable, and too much of it isn’t dark green and photosynthesizing at maximum speed. We put the nitrogen and… Read More
Category: Fertility
When it comes to soybean fertility, there are many different pieces of the puzzle we could look at. Tonight’s episode of The Agronomists focuses particularly on P and K management. Do starter and pop-up fertilizers make a significant impact on soybean performance compared to just broadcasting the crops’ nutrient needs? When do we soil test… Read More
Water, water, water — in this episode of Wheat Pete’s Word, the topic of water comes up several times. From ancient lakes, to wet weather, to the erosive power of water, to mixing order for spray solution, water is a hot topic this week. Also on this week’s Word, host Peter Johnson says nay to… Read More
The Ontario Agricultural Commodity Council (OACC), made of up 27 non-supply managed commodity organization, is asking Chrystia Freeland, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, to remove the 35 per cent tariff currently levied on Russian-sourced fertilizer. In a letter sent April 13, 2023, the group outlines the collective value of the groups’ economic activity… Read More
Do starter and pop-up fertilizers make a significant impact on soybean performance compared to just broadcasting the crops’ nutrient needs? That’s a question Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs soybean specialist Horst Bohner has been asked by many growers during the winter months. He says when soybeans first entered Ontario in the 1960s,… Read More
Because biological crop products are neither fertilizer nor pesticide, there’s no requirement for efficacy proof before a product is released for commercial sales. So long as it doesn’t cause harm to the crop or pose an environmental risk, these biostimulants, stress supporters, and nutrient enhancers are largely sold on a buyer beware market. But that’s… Read More
The weather outside might be frightful, especially for the first week of April, but Wheat Pete’s Word is so delightful! This week on the podcast, host Peter Johnson makes some very important clarifications on sulphur concentration in fertilizer products, talks erosion events and manure application compaction, and throws out a new challenge to listeners regarding… Read More
Edible beans are not huge consumers of fertilizer, but they will deliver better performance with a balanced fertility plan. On this episode of the RealAgriculture Edible Bean School, Hensall Co-op field marketer Meghan Scott breaks down the components of that plan and offers tips on how growers can fine-tune fertility for the 2023 crop. Overall,… Read More
The Grain Farmers of Ontario (GFO) continues to press the federal government to make good on its promise to return the approximately $34 million in tariffs it collected from farmers on Russian fertilizer imports in 2022. The Liberal government has pledged to return the money to the agriculture sector but Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food… Read More
Fertilizer products need to be able to meet the needs of a crop while supporting success of a grower’s operation and land stewardship. While there’s plenty of focus on nitrogen fertilizer management, phosphorus is also an incredibly important nutrient and also one that has environmental consequences if not managed well. Kerry Cebul, chief executive officer… Read More
Stratford, Ont., wheat grower Andy Timmermans says anyone who is half serious about growing wheat in Ontario should enrol in the Great Lakes Yield Enhancement Network (YEN). Timmermans has been involved in the Great Lakes YEN since it started two years years ago. In 2022, he finished second in both the yield and per cent… Read More
Is liquid fertilizer more or less available to the plant than granular? Is planting barley after potatoes a bad idea? Why would some soybean plants be green in a field of yellow plants? There are just a handful of the questions posed this week to the host of Wheat Pete’s Word, Peter Johnson. In the… Read More
The Canola Council of Canada is offering incentives to growers to improve 4R Nutrient Stewardship on canola acres. Shawn Senko, an agronomy specialist for the Canola Council of Canada, presented at Soils and Crops in Saskatoon, Sask., on the Canola 4R Advantage Program available to canola growers across the country. The purpose of the 4R advantage… Read More
March 1 marks a special occasion — it’s the first day of meteorological spring! What does that really mean? Not much for the day to day stuff, but is important for measuring and comparing weather parameters. That’s the kick off to this week’s Wheat Pete’s Word. Host Peter Johnson can feel the beginning of spring… Read More
Lucent Bio and Federated Co-operatives Limited (FCL) have teamed up to distribute Soileos Zinc, a new crop nutrition product, to western Canadian producers. According to the North American Soil Test Summary, zinc is deficient in 30 per cent of soil samples taken in Alberta, 66 per cent of those in Saskatchewan, and 61 per cent… Read More