Financial planning and management of your farm business is a year-round activity, but just after harvest is an ideal time to take stock, review where you’re at, and begin planning for next year. I think many times in any small business we are energetic on the planning, but fall flat on the follow up at… Read More
Category: Harvest
Seed quality from the 2018 harvest was actually quite good, until wet and cold weather stranded crop standing and in the swath. That nasty weather interlude has left many farmers with seed that’s in a rather deep dormancy, and it’s going to take some time to fully evaluate the quality and germination of seed lots… Read More
Growing a crop is not easy with all of the variables and factors impacting your decisions made and results achieved. If only we could make all agronomic decisions with hindsight, it would allow us to be way more effective agronomists and farmers. This year has brought its own challenges across Canada that have proven to… Read More
“Brutal” is just one word being used to describe some of the corn coming off in Ontario. While yields are good, a perfect storm of disease-inducing conditions at and following pollination has left a chunk of the 2018 corn crop riddled with myctoxins, most notably vomitoxin. “There is still lots of good corn in Ontario,”… Read More
Every year is different when it comes to growing a crop. The summer growing conditions are unpredictable and, as we have seen this year, harvest can go from great to brutal in one weather event. The same is true with seed: every sample can offer its own surprises. RealAgriculture’s Dale Leftwich recently attended the Western… Read More
As Mother Nature brought too little to no moisture during the growing season and then an abundance of a rain and snow during harvest, the Canadian Grain Commission (CGC) has extended its sample program. “We decided to extend the deadline for harvest sample submissions to make sure that as many producers as possible could take… Read More
EDITOR’S NOTE This situation is evolving daily — please contact Agricorp directly for the latest parameters on dealing with high-ppm corn. ** Agricorp is keeping a close eye on vomitoxin levels in Ontario’s corn crop and telling growers not to destroy any crop at this time. The provincial risk management program provider has indicated it… Read More
The 2018 growing season has thrown Ontario farmers more than a few curve balls, including severe drought, but this latest at harvest is likely the toughest to manage. Ontario’s provincial agriculture department has released its annual corn crop toxin survey, and the numbers are not good. A whopping 25% of crop surveyed came in at… Read More
A major fire broke out late October 11 at the North West Terminal approximately one kilometre east of the town of Unity, Sask. The terminal had just recently installed a new high capacity dryer, which is where the fire started. At this time, the fire is contained to this area, but is in close proximity… Read More
There are not one, but two Alert! Alert! Alert! segments in this week’s Wheat Pete’s Word, and that’s just how she goes in a wet, snowy, long, drawn out harvest. Host Peter Johnson is talking wheat storage woes, mycotoxin trouble, and strip tillage tips and tricks in this early October edition of the Word. You’ll… Read More
Corn stalks have become a significant management challenge for many growers. Better corn hybrids, higher yields, bigger plants, and fewer corn borers to break down stalks mean more farmers are turning to tillage to tackle crop residue. At Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show (COFS), a host of tillage manufacturers and retailers took to a harvested corn… Read More
Marcel Kringe has taken his combine remote drop pan and separator east to show Ontario farmers how the innovation can reduce harvest losses. Manitoba-based Kringe, who hatched the idea with a co-worker while working as a custom combine driver, brought the Bushel Plus combine calibration system to Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show (COFS) earlier this month…. Read More
This week’s episode of Wheat Pete’s Word runs nearly coast to coast, with questions from out west, down south, out east, and everywhere in between. From the on-fire soybean yields in Ontario, to the evergreen crop in Western Canada, to fungicide timing on forage crops, you won’t want to miss Peter Johnson’s answers to this… Read More
Patience is in short supply for Western Canada’s farmers slogging through a tough harvest, but those waiting for a change in weather are just going to have to wait longer, according to Drew Lerner, of World Weather Inc. “The atmosphere is very unsettled right now,” Lerner says. “There is a lot of cold air coming… Read More
Farmers in Ontario can anticipate active weather to continue well into October, says Drew Lerner, of World Weather Inc. While eastern Ontario is still cleaning up from last week’s F3 and F2 tornadoes, parts of southern Ontario are experiencing nearly nightly weather alerts. Is this what we’re in for for harvest? Lerner says that cool… Read More