There’s plenty of excitement for both economic and environmental reasons about the potential for biological nitrogen fixation for corn and other crops that don’t fix their own nitrogen, but a soil scientist from North Dakota State University says farmers and agronomists should be asking several key questions before counting on added organisms to supply N… Read More
Category: Fertility
When the weather is warm early in the season, everyone starts talking winter wheat. This spring in Ontario, the winter wheat crop is awake and no one is more excited than RealAgriculture agronomist Peter Johnson. On this episode of the Wheat School, Johnson is walking a wheat field near Georgetown, Ont. The crop is greening… Read More
The fertilizer market of yore could be relatively dependable for ebbs and flows in pricing. There were general seasonal highs and lows that storage-savvy farmers and retailers could use to their advantage. But in the last five years, on-farm storage has been as much about secured access as it has been about cost. The year… Read More
Crop scientists know a lot more about nutrient uptake in corn and soybean than winter wheat. That’s something RealAgriculture agronomist Peter Johnson and a host of researchers, technicians and industry stakeholders have been working to change. On this episode of the Wheat School, Johnson shares data from a new wheat study on nutrient uptake and… Read More
How does an on-farm biodigester and 2,200 beef cattle merge to make a farm more profitable and sustainable? On this episode of RealAgriculture’s Profitable Practices, Carl Frook shares how Frook Farms and Mar Creek Renewables have come together to help him manage manure, his cattle, his crops, and boost the bottom line for the family… Read More
When it comes to improving fertilizer application and utilization, growers are encouraged to focus on the 4Rs — the right source, right rate, right time, and right place. Former Manitoba Ag soil fertility specialist John Heard won’t argue with that strategy but he would also like farmers to think about the ‘4Ls’ — lift-off, leftover,… Read More
Amazone is touting its new boundary spreading feature as a tool that gives crop growers the confidence to spread full fertilizer rates to the edge of the field. In this report from Agritechnica, Amazone’s Jeff Schott illustrates how the company has modified its AutoTS spreading system by adding BorderTS — a deflector, operated hydraulically, that… Read More
What’s one thing you love about agriculture in Canada? Peter “Wheat Pete” Johnson wants us all to celebrate and share whatever that is next Tuesday on Canada’s Ag Day! Johnson’s got some thoughts on how to best share our thoughts about agriculture in this week’s podcast, but don’t worry, there’s also plenty of agronomic questions… Read More
A Saskatchewan based start-up is deploying a combination of cameras and machine learning to automate and dramatically reduce the time it takes to grade a sample of grain. Ground Truth Ag has developed a machine with a vision detection model that can assess around 50 different grading factors for Canada Western red spring wheat, as… Read More
Biological products, such as inoculants for pulses and soybeans, have been around a very long time, but the ever-expanding world of biological products now means that growers have options for hundreds of products that are supposed to do everything from stimulating root growth, to helping plants recover from hail, to fixing nitrogen. To help evaluate… Read More
What’s the most economic rate of nitrogen for corn? Where is that line between feeding the crop the right amount of the yield-producing nutrient and wasting dollars on excess product? University of Guelph sustainable cropping systems professor Dr. Adrian Correndo says a lot of field trials and research brainpower has been invested in identifying an… Read More
Biologicals hold great promise for improving crop production. From increasing root activity, soil microbes, and nutrient availability to building plant resiliency to abiotic stresses — this emerging crop input segment is bursting with product choices. But for farmers, selecting which product and application is right for their acres can be a daunting and confusing task…. Read More
The nitrogen fertilizer market is expected to remain firm heading into the ’24 planting season thanks to several global supply/demand factors, according to ADM Fertilizer’s Saskatchewan-based urea product line manager. With natural gas prices in Europe having dropped precipitously from their highs in 2022, the nitrogen market has turned its attention elsewhere, explains Noah Bishop,… Read More
Growers and agronomists typically focus on the ear leaf at flowering when tissue testing corn to determine nutrient needs. But is that still the best choice for determining the optimal nutrient prescription for the crop as it moves into the reproductive stages? Purdue University professor emeritus Dr. Tony Vyn believes the evolution of modern hybrids… Read More
The application of sulphur fertilizer involves a key question: when does the crop need the sulphur? Sulphur application might not be a common one, but for both the east and the west, it’s one that requires long-term planning as some products require weathering and microbial breakdown to release the nutrient. There are a few options… Read More