Harvest is a stressful time of year — things have to get done, but it’s not a time for cutting corners when it comes to farm safety. That’s the message Rob Gobeil, health and safety specialist for the Canadian Agriculture Safety Association (CASA), shared when he visited with RealAg Radio host Shaun Haney earlier this… Read More
Corn needs about 55 to 60 calendar days to go from tassel to black layer… but that holds true, generally speaking for Ontario, if tasseling happens in mid-July. RealAgriculture resident agronomist Peter Johnson says that because that 60 “days” is really a measure of heat accumulation, hitting black layer when tasseling starts in early August… Read More
Could 2019 be another ‘gibb’ year for corn growers? That’s a question RealAgriculture agronomist Peter Johnson encounters almost daily. When asked, he says there’s “not a chance” of the widespread gibberella outbreak Ontario growers experienced in 2018. However, he notes that “in isolated areas, we do have a high risk of gibberella ear rot infection… Read More
Ah, August in Ontario, when the days are hot and the nights are…well, a little cool, to be honest. As a slightly delayed winter wheat harvest nears its end, all eyes are turned to the corn crop that’s just not fully tasseling in most parts of the province. Tasseling has more than a few farmers… Read More
A hot, dry growing season has pulse crops charging towards maturity — is it time for a desiccant or pre-harvest pass of glyphosate? Nevin Rosaasen, policy and program specialist for Alberta Pulse Growers, says that accurately staging a pulse crop, in this case lentils, is incredibly important to ensure farmers aren’t losing yield, crop quality,… Read More
Is 2019 the year of the weird? Maybe, says host Peter ‘Wheat Pete’ Johnson in this episode of Wheat Pete’s Word. From planting conditions, to strange looking plants, and on to excessive and strange insect and creepy crawlies — this growing season is nothing short of odd. Johnson tackles what’s going on with things like… Read More
Ontario’s winter wheat crop has been fighting an uphill battle ever since last fall and the struggle will likely continue right through to harvest. On this episode of the RealAgriculture Wheat School, agronomist Peter Johnson explains that the highly variable crop will likely mean harvesting headaches. Last week at the University of Guelph’s Ridgetown College… Read More
Peter ‘Wheat Pete’ Johnson is back for another edition of Wheat Pete’s Word, even if his voice is only running about 80%. It’s early July, and there’s so very much to cover in this week’s audio. From fusarium florets, to surprisingly weedy corn fields, and on to rolling corn cobs, and covering unseeded acres, host… Read More
By Sean Mitchell and Dr. Alfons Weersink As wet planting conditions persist across Ontario, many growers have switching on their mind: should they switch to shorter-season corn hybrids or even leave corn in the bag and plant soybeans? From an economic perspective, the best choice is likely to switch to shorter-season corn with lower heat… Read More
Are you farming vertically? That’s a question Illinois-based agronomist Ken Ferrie believes every grower needs to ask when making soil and field management decisions. At the CropSmart 2019 conference held earlier this year at Kitchener, Ont., Ferrie, who operates Crop-Tech consulting, explained that vertical farming refers to the ability for water to move up and… Read More
Farmers who use Trimble have a new option to connect their farm. The company announced its new entry-level software dubbed Farmer Core, which enables farmers to connect to all aspects of the farm operation by computer or phone. The program uses the company’s new AutoSync that automatically syncs guidance lines, field names, boundaries, landmarks, and… Read More
GSI has expanded its lineup of Z-Series Bins with Flexwave technology and Quiet Dryer models for 2019. The grain bin manufacturer has launched the new technologies in the last 24 months and is now offering both innovations across its full product line. Last week at the National Farm Machinery Show, GSI conditioning applications manager Gary Woodruff noted… Read More
In 2010, Claas set a world record when the Lexion 760 Terra Trac combine harvested 51,153 bushels of corn in a 10-hour period. Claas product manager Jeff Gray drove the combine that day and he was back in the cab last September to help Craig Stewart and sons Bob and Brad set new harvesting records… Read More
From an environmental standpoint, Ontario experienced a perfect storm in 2018 that produced an epidemic of gibberella ear rot in corn and resulting unprecedented DON levels. Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs field crop plant pathologist Albert Tenuta compares the conditions that created the classic silk channel infection in corn hybrids to what… Read More
Ontario grain farmers dealing with high DON (vomitoxin) levels in their corn crop can now apply for funding to cover DON testing. The Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association (OSCIA) has announced a new intake for cost-share opportunities to support DON testing under the Canadian Agricultural Partnership (CAP). The initiative will support producers whose corn crop or corn products… Read More