As the summer days stretch and the forest fire smoke settles in over huge areas of the country, farmers are wrapping up wheat harvest in the east and starting harvest in earnest in the west. Late-season agronomy typically centres on harvest management, but diseases and insects are still lurking, especially in the corn crop. In… Read more »
Category: Harvest Management
Wheat Pete’s Word, July 11: Peduncles, double crops, and chewing vs. sucking insects
It’s July and that means two things: sunburns and field tour season! Our apologies for this week’s Wheat Pete’s Word being posted a day late, but it was actually a field tour (and plot harvest) that pushed host Peter Johnson right to deadline. We promise it’s worth the wait, however, as this week’s episode is… Read more »
Wheat School: What we’ve learned so far in year one with Manipulator
2018 marks the first growing season where farmers across Canada can apply the plant growth regulator chlormequat chloride — a.k.a. “Manipulator” — to wheat without having to worry about problems marketing the wheat after harvest. The U.S. established a maximum residue limit (MRL) for chlormequat chloride in cereal crop imports this spring, clearing the way… Read more »
Lightweight narrow-row corn head heavy on efficiency
Want to maximize combine productivity and put every corn kernel possible in the grain tank? That’s what New Holland is promising farmers who invest in the company’s new 9200 CornMaster Series of corn heads. The narrow-row heads are specifically developed for farmers planting in 20- and 22-inch row spacings and range from 12-row to 18-row… Read more »
Case IH lightens the load with narrow-row corn header
Case IH is expanding its 4400 Series corn header line-up with a new lightweight, narrow-row header designed to help farmers pick cleaner, harvest faster, and improve handling of down corn. The new models have been completely redesigned — from the row unit and frame, to the gear box and power drive — to meet the needs of… Read more »
GSI expands Quiet portable dryer offering
Grain Systems, Inc (GSI) is rolling out two new extensions of its Quiet Dryer technology. GSI’s Quiet Dryer fan design was introduced in 2017 in an all-heat portable dryer. The company says it provides a 50 percent noise reduction compared to standard portable grain dryers equipped with vane axial fans without sacrificing drying capacity or efficiency…. Read more »
Corn School: How to reduce mechanical kernel damage
Mechanically harvesting, drying and handling grain corn can compromise quality and take a bite out of a grower’s bottom line. Earlier this fall, OMAFRA crop systems and environment engineer James Dyck worked with Dietrich Farms of Lucan, Ontario to study mechanical breakage – the impact it has on dockage and what growers can do to… Read more »
Dairy School: Limiting mould and mycotoxin problems in your herd
Mycotoxin and mould growth in dairy feed can lead to lower milk production, poor animal health and reduced profits. This impact on production is not a new discovery for dairy producers, but there certainly is a growing awareness of the problem, says North Carolina State University professor emeritus Dr. Lon Whitlow. “A large part of it… Read more »
Canola School: Pre-harvest options for your canola crop
It’s the time of year when many producers are thinking about swathing, or looking forward to desiccating and straight cutting their canola crop. Two of the more common options for dry downs on your crop are glyphosate, a slower process but great for cleaning up fields; and diquat, the active ingredient in most registered desiccants…. Read more »
Corn School: Could 2017 be another vomitoxin year?
A late-maturing crop, difficult environmental conditions, significant insect pressure and potential for late-season leaf disease…although too early to tell – this growing list of factors could lead to another year of high vomitoxin levels in the Ontario corn crop. In this episode of RealAgriculture Corn School, OMAFRA plant pathologist Albert Tenuta takes a look at the… Read more »
MRLs established enabling preharvest application of Heat LQ on wheat and barley
BASF says it has cleared all necessary approvals, including the establishment of maximum residue limits (MRLs) in all major export markets, enabling pre-harvest application of Heat LQ herbicide on wheat and barley in Western Canada. “This is something producers have been asking for for a really long time, and now that we’re in a position… Read more »
Episode 4 – The Straight Cutting Experience from BASF
Uniform crop. Straight forward harvest. Chris Zemlak is planning to straight cut over half his canola acres this year. But if he had it his way, he would be straight cutting all of them. “There’s something fun about straight cutting canola with a 40-foot header, at 5 miles an hour and putting 40 to 50… Read more »
Tool makes harvest loss management simple
As a farmer, you take care of our crops all year, pouring thousands of dollars into making sure the final product is up to the standards you expected. So why would you let all that time and money spent go down the drain when you lose a good portion of your crop to harvest loss?… Read more »
Wheat School: Late nitrogen pumps up protein and profits
Surging wheat markets mean there’s plenty of profit potential in high protein wheat, and Peter Johnson has some tips to help you cash in on those premiums. In this episode of RealAgriculture Wheat School, Johnson, our resident agronomist and shameless wheat promoter, shares protein management insights for growers in Western Canada and spring wheat growers… Read more »
Episode 3: The Straight Cutting Experience from BASF
Take control back at harvest. Despite being new to straight cutting, Mark and Matt Ferguson have already seen a lot of progress. After trying the practice with a shatter-resistant variety on a small number of acres, they gained the confidence to expand to a larger number of acres. Find out how the Ferguson’s use straight… Read more »