For anyone that’s ever done an agriculture diploma or degree, there’s likely a course that elicited groans when you’d see it on the schedule. For some it’s likely communications, for others maybe statistics, but for many it’s soil science. That was the case for Marla Riekman, which is ironic, given that she now serves as… Read More
Where is wheat number one? Do you have a planter plate that’s going to work for soys (maybe not!)? Plus, do you know which spring-seeded cereal gets the biggest bump from early planting? If you’re looking for the answers to these questions and so much more, you don’t want to miss this week’s Wheat Pete’s… Read More
You can’t get to a thousand episodes without first hitting 200, and here we are at episode 200 of Wheat Pete’s Word! Host Peter Johnson dedicates this episode to proper nutrient management, and tackles the topic from a few different angles. After all, when people are started to lobby that bodies of water have the… Read More
Imagine planting corn hybrids that could produce 40 to 80 percent of their nitrogen requirements. It’s only 10 years away, says University of Wisconsin–Madison researcher Dr. Vania Pankievicz. The breakthrough comes from a Mexican corn variety called Sierra Mixe. At the recent Innovative Farmers Association of Ontario conference in London, Ontario, Pankievicz explained that the 15-foot tall variety,… Read More
What does your swimming pool and seedbed have in common? Very little! So why is one farmer worried about potassium chloride’s impact on soil bugs? It’s all about the form of nutrients, says Wheat Pete’s Word host, Peter Johnson. In this week’s episode, Johnson wants to hear from you on your top spring wheat yields… Read More
North Carolina farmer Russell Hedrick is trying to make money in agriculture. That’s one of the reason’s why the first-generation farmer, who started with just 30 acres in 2012, believes in farming for profit, not max yield. Fast forward to 2018, and Hedrick’s operation has grown to more than 800 acres while his crop inputs… Read More
When you’re growing in semi-arid areas or facing a low-rainfall year, the last thing your crops need is excess nitrogen consuming what little soil moisture remains. Unfortunately, with most nitrogen fertilizers, that’s exactly what happens. It has been demonstrated in studies that excess nitrogen during the vegetative growth stage can decrease yields in canola and… Read More
How western Canadian farmers manage canola fertility in no-till systems, how canola impacts subsequent rotational crops, and side-banding nitrogen impacts, are all areas that Dr. Cynthia Grant spent much of her career focused on. Grant, a retired senior research scientist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) based in Brandon, Man., was honoured this week with the 2019… Read More
On this week’s episode of Wheat Pete’s Word, learn about making the call on not just starter fertilizer rates for corn (and maybe soybeans) but also on what product differences to consider when deciding on rates and placement. Host, Peter ‘Wheat Pete’ Johnson also shares some insight on plant breeding advancements overseas, how a soil… Read More
As we march in to February, Peter ‘Wheat Pete’ Johnson is busy making the rounds at the winter conferences: from FarmTech last week in Edmonton, to Ontario Soil and Crop’s AGM at Kingston this week. In this episode of Wheat Pete’s Word, Johnson shares some of what he’s heard on the show circuit, as well… Read More
If you’re like many western Canadian grain farmers, you put the bulk of the year’s fertilizer on in the spring. That practice means you need the most informed data in front of you before the growing season to determine how much of which nutrient goes where — preferably as close as possible to amount needed… Read More
Farmers know that being efficient with fertilizer is economically sound and required, environmentally. The problem is, that oftentimes the process is not quantified, so, the public doesn’t have any idea about the kind of stewardship already taking place on farms. There is also a need for more data so that best practices can be benchmarked,… Read More
Just like that, we are knee-deep in meeting season — and that means, engaging speakers, research findings, sales pitches, and new ideas for the growing season ahead. Fresh off another successful Southwest Agricultural Conference, Wheat Pete’s Word host Peter Johnson is raring to go answering your top agronomic questions. First though, if you’re looking for… Read More
Happy New Year, listeners! Peter ‘Wheat Pete’ Johnson is back with the 191st episode of Wheat Pete’s Word and it could be the very first episode in months not to use that dreaded three-letter word (DON). Instead, this episode talks soil sampling and nutrient recommendation philosophies, dealing with ruts and wet fall conditions, winter manure… Read More
What’s the most important agronomic resource Ontario farmers could hold in their possession? How about the new Soil Fertility Handbook? You’ll hear all about it on this episode of the RealAg Bookclub podcast as handbook editor, Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs soil fertility specialist Jake Munroe, tells us why there should be… Read More