It’s early April and farmers are itching to get the planter out in the field. For the precious few of you in Ontario that are nearly ready to roll, have at ‘er, but for most of the corn growing region, it’s not late yet, but it’s looking like the planting window may be slightly compressed…. Read More
Category: Fertility
As Ontario cereal specialist Peter Johnson says, farmers aren’t satisfied ’til they’ve (mentally) killed the winter wheat crop three times. So, it’s no surprise then, that as the earliest fields are appearing from under the snow (sigh, alas, not yet in all areas), many farmers are concerned with how the crop looks and whether or… Read More
Adopting warm season crops, like corn, in cool season areas, like Western Canada, takes time, patience and adaptation. The first crucial step is access to shorter season varieties, which we’ve got, but from there the nutrient/pest/harvest management trial and error learning has to follow. Hear & download more Agronomy Geeks podcasts by clicking here Grain… Read More
From a distance, a nitrogen deficient canola plant and a sulphur deficient plant can actually look rather similar. It’s only once you get up close and compare it to plants from other areas of the field, that you can better assess what’s hampering growth of the crop. In this episode of the Canola School, Dan… Read More
Contrary to what it looks like outside my window right now, it is officially spring. Eventually the snow will recede and the warmth will return and the ice and frost will disappear just long enough to eek out another crop from the prairie soil (apparently I wax poetic after 5 full months of winter). When… Read More
No two farmers manage their corn crop the same way, yet can achieve top yields. This is great news, because it means that no matter what your goals are for the farm, from decreasing tillage, to using more cover crops, there’s a way to produce more corn per acre. That’s one of the take-home messages… Read More
Should you double up on soybean inoculant? Do you go full rates of both or half? Should you worry about some sort of extender if the soybeans sit for three weeks before popping up? For farmers (and ground!) new to growing soybeans, there are several things to consider when inoculating soybeans ahead of the growing… Read More
Flax — it’s beautiful to look at in the field, healthy to eat in your cereal but a pain in the butt to coax real production out of. Or is it? Dr. Paul Dribnenki, a former flax breeder and current consultant, challenges farmers to begin really understanding and managing this crop to get the most out… Read More
By Shane Thomas Plant nutrients are always big driving factors in how our crops yield, with macronutrients getting the majority of the attention. However, micronutrients can be limiting factors in a lot of our cropping systems, especially for those really pushing yield with intense management. One micronutrient that gets discussed a lot is copper. This… Read More
A basic crop budget will tally up fixed and variable costs to compare to average or projected crop prices, yes, but how do you account for some non-cash pros and cons of growing a particular crop? These benefits can range from soil management, to ease of seeding, to herbicide resistance management and more. Each of… Read More
Editor’s note: Gaining Ground is a series of feature articles written about cultural management practices common to all production systems. With a heavy focus on soil management and productivity, Rob Wallbridge, a Quebec farmer and blogger, will tackle a new topic in each article, from the use of cover crops, to integrated weed management and… Read More
Nitrogen and phosphorus get all the glory when it comes to the macronutrients. But there are two others in the NPKS mix, you know. The third most important nutrient, potassium, often gets thrown by the wayside and only seems to come up when there is a market discussion on Potash Corp or Russia’s Uralkali. There… Read More
Don’t shoot the messenger, but if you haven’t priced your nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizer for this year, things are about to get very ugly. Or uglier. There’s really no upside here, unless you happen to have a neighbour with livestock and a manure problem (which you might. Ask around. Don’t worry, I’ll wait here while… Read More
As crop prices fall and margins tighten, every farmer is looking for an edge — whether a bump in production or more efficient use of inputs. The increased pressure to scratch out a profit takes extra time and effort on planning and management. Deciding on where to focus that extra time and effort is the… Read More
If it’s late May and your winter wheat crop is awake and starting to look good so you figure it’s time to top up the nitrogen, you’ve already missed the ideal window for a spring application. Plus, if you didn’t take care of winter annuals last fall, those tiny seedlings that over wintered took off… Read More