The trials and tribulations of Ontario soybean corn planting is well documented. An Ontario corn grower told me this morning that even the old timers cannot remember a spring like this one. With 60-65% of the Ontario corn planted producers are running out of time to get this corn crop in the ground. If warmer… Read More
Category: Agronomy
Most people think, with wet, cool conditions, cutworms are not a problem. For the most part that’s true, but the cutworm is a very diverse insect with many different species and types. This makes it difficult to typify their behaviour as a whole and risky to ignore them just because of the weather. They can… Read More
With the supremely wet weather that has been significantly delaying corn and soybean. Another one of the impacts of this wet weather is the need to consider fungicides for your wheat crop. Wet conditions tend to bring on disease and that can dampen your yield expectations if not handled accordingly. Phil Needham is a leading… Read More
This spring has been an especially tough one for farmers in Manitoba. Wet conditions and the flooding brought on by excessive moisture have added stress upon stress to farmers looking at back to back seasons where water was a major issue. Unprecedented flood waters have spilled over the banks of the Assiniboine River onto thousands… Read More
As we get closer to June, with acres still to be planted and wet weather still on the horizon, farmers begin to think about switching from corn to soybeans. Some Ontario farmers are even considering lowering the CHU’s of the soybeans they will plant. The one thing that makes soybeans different than corn is that… Read More
In case missed it….the 2011 spring is providing to be a real challenge across the country. It is wet everywhere except for Northern Alberta. Areas like Southern Alberta are over 75% seeded while parts of Ontario have only 40% of the corn planted and 5% soybeans. Eastern Saskatchewan and Manitoba have major issues while Peace… Read More
On most years seeding earlier provides opportunities for large reward in terms of yield. Now that many farmers are racing against the calendar to try and get seeded as soon as they can, there are some considerations being made. One of the main questions that many farmers are dealing with is whether they should seed… Read More
By Shaun Haney We live in world right now that thrives on the speculation of conspiracy. A great example of a mainstream conspiracy theorists are the “birthers” that don’t believe Barack Obama was not born in the US even though he produced a birth certificate. Conspiracy theorists are very prevalent in agriculture as well. I… Read More
Its the race against the calendar. Ontario farmers are pushing to try and complete planting before they have to re-consider their heat unit selection. From twitter I have been picking up that many of the farmers are planting close to around the clock which is very taxing on the mind and body but the reality… Read More
Blog post by John Guelly, BSc, P.Eng Wheat and Canola Farmer and Ag Engineer at Westlock, AB So we just ordered a new tractor, state of the art 2011 JD 8260R, complete with all the bells and whistles. We sold our old tractor to some neighbors and I asked them if they also were interested… Read More
The “big picture” is very important when it comes to evaluating plant stands, especially in winter wheat. The first place a farmer will naturally be drawn to is the visually accessible poor spots in the field. Those areas should be looked at, but always in the broader context of the entire field. If they aren’t,… Read More
Farmers looking to kickstart their winter wheat crop are very careful in timing their nitrogen application. Applying nitrogen at the wrong stage in plant development can lead to yield loss down the line. That being said, farmers have to take into consideration the difference in conditions this year vs last year. Whereas last years conditions… Read More
With the discovery of glyphosate resistant ragweed last year in Ontario, many researchers and farmers are growing concerned about the potential impact of glyphosate resistance. The is not just a problem for Canada but around the world where glyphosate tolerant traits are planted. By no means is this a wide spread issue as it seems… Read More
Rain isn’t the only thing those constant storms have been carrying into Ontario. States south of Ontario have reported large captures of black cutworm moths, and some of those same moths have been riding the storm fronts into Ontario and laying eggs. The black moth eggs hatch and the larvae then move from the annual… Read More
When the conditions are right, flea beetles move quickly and devastate quickly. The bugs are the most chronically damaging insect pest of canola in Western Canada. They inflict the most damage on canola at the seedling stage, inhibiting proper plant growth and delaying maturity. They will feed on more mature plants, but canola at later… Read More