Nitrogen in the soil is available to plants in two forms: ammonium (NH4) and nitrate (N03). The problem with nitrate is, unlike ammonium, it’s a negatively-charged ion that’s not attracted to soil particles or soil organic matter. Nitrate is also water soluble, so it can easily move out of a crop’s rooting zone to places… Read more »
Category: Fertility
Corn School: ‘Wins’ of spring 2017
2017 may well be remembered for the spring that just kept on giving. From flooding to hail, Mother Nature threw just about every challenge imaginable at Ontario farmers during the early portion of the growing season. But despite difficult conditions that wreaked havoc on spring tillage, planting, weed control and nutrient application, farmers have persevered…. Read more »
New tool helps minimize phosphorus loss
When and how should you apply phosphorus for maximum crop production benefit while ensuring it stays put in the field? Answering these questions is a job for the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs’ new phosphorus loss assessment tool, explains OMAFRA soil fertility specialist Jake Munroe. In this video, Munroe explains how the… Read more »
Corn School: Does wet soil need more nitrogen?
The rain keeps falling in Ontario and all the water-logged soils make it tough to get a good read on how much nitrogen is available to the province’s corn crop. In this edition of RealAgriculture Corn School, agronomist Peter Johnson discusses whether corn acres need supplemental nitrogen and how much they might need. It depends on… Read more »
Corn School: Cool weather calls for more sidedress nitrogen
Ontario’s cool, wet spring not only delayed planting, but also put the brakes on nitrogen mineralization, limiting the nutrient’s availability to the growing corn crop. According to OMAFRA pre-sidedress nitrate testing (PSNT) survey results released this week, corn growers are looking at the lowest rates of available nitrogen since the survey began in 2013. In… Read more »
Corn School: Cold and wet means less available nitrogen
What a difference a year makes. In 2016, Ontario’s cold and dry spring conditions produced plenty of available nitrogen for the emerging corn crop. But when you fast-forward to 2017, those cold soils are now waterlogged and the wet conditions mean there’s very little nitrogen available to the crop. The wet soil conditions have a… Read more »
Wheat Pete’s Word, May 17: Western Canada leads #plant17, leaf burn woes, and crusting corn
Cork-screw corn, good-looking western spring crops, heat unit discrepancies — it’s been a wild week of major seeding progress in Western Canada, while much of Ontario’s planting progress has been hamstrung with extremely cold and wet weather. Some Ontario farmers, including Wheat Pete’s Word host Peter Johnson, are on to plan C for field prep as rain… Read more »
Wheat School: Nitrogen stays put in cold, wet conditions
It’s been cold and it’s been raining… and raining. Does your wheat crop need more nitrogen? The answer is no, according to agronomist Peter Johnson. In this edition of RealAgriculture Wheat School, Johnson says despite the weather growers who have already applied 120 to 130 pounds of nitrogen to fields should be in good shape…. Read more »
Wheat Pete’s Word, May 10: Quality forage timing, cold temp fallout, and two-pass fungicide strategy
This week’s (almost!) cross-Canada Wheat Pete’s Word is packed full of great questions, worries about cold temperatures, solid timely answers on field management, and at least one alert, alert, alert! Your host Peter Johnson tackles questions on harvesting cereal rye (soon! this week!) while keeping compaction in mind, if corn seed is going to be… Read more »
Wheat Pete’s Word, May 3: Rust alerts, wet weather, and the philosophy of seeding rates
We’re kicking off May with wet, wet weather both at home and south of the border, and not one but two alerts for very early disease detection in Ontario’s Bruce and Essex Counties. Peter Johnson, your host of Wheat Pete’s Word, also has cautions on using saved soybean seed from the 2016 crop, why you… Read more »
Soybean School: Management Tips for Plant 2017
As 2017 soybean planting gets rolling across Ontario, what management considerations should be top of mind for growers? In our planting edition of Real Agriculture Soybean School, we put that question to Pride Seeds market development agronomist Dan Foster. In this episode, Foster explains why he’s excited to see Roundup Ready 2 Xtend soybeans going… Read more »
Wheat Pete’s Word, April 26: Double Crop Thinking, Fleabane Management, and Manganese Needs
It’s the last week of April and not only is there crop in the ground in areas of southern Ontario, but there’s even a few corn and soy plants poking above ground! Don’t feel bad, though, if that’s not where you’re at — there’s plenty of field prep and planning still happening across not just… Read more »
Wheat School: Splitting Nitrogen Makes You Smarter
Will you be splitting your wheat nitrogen application this spring? Agronomist Peter Johnson thinks you should. In this episode of Real Agriculture Wheat School, Johnson reviews the split N strategy and why growers should take a hard look at making it part of their management plan. “First of all, it simply buys you insurance against… Read more »
Wheat School: Higher Yield Potential Requires More Sulphur
If you want that good looking winter wheat field to deliver top yields don’t skimp on sulphur this spring. That’s the key message agronomist Peter Johnson has for growers in the latest episode of Real Agriculture Wheat School. Johnson explains that 10 pounds per acre is sufficient for growers targeting 100 bushel per acre wheat,… Read more »
Canola School: Spring Options For N If You Missed Anhydrous In Fall
Wet conditions prevented normal fall fertilizer application in parts of Western Canada last fall, leaving growers looking at options for delivering nitrogen to this year’s crop. As Don Flaten, soil scientist at the University of Manitoba, explains in this episode of Canola School, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach. Growers will have to consider their limiting factors… Read more »