There’s a noticeable gap on the Ontario winter farm conference calendar for 2025, as the Innovative Farmers Association of Ontario (IFAO) has now confirmed that it will not be hosting its annual conference in February. The IFAO has a long history in the province and is synonymous with the adoption of no-till and good soil… Read More
Category: Agronomy
A federal appeals court in the U.S. has sided with AGCO and Precision Planting in a long-running legal dispute with John Deere over high-speed planter patents. On Friday, Jan. 24, a judge with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit upheld an earlier U.S. District Court jury ruling, ruling in favour of AGCO… Read More
There’s growing evidence that cover crops have the ability to support “sustainably intensified” agriculture. That’s the verdict from Purdue University associate agronomy professor Dr. Shalamar Armstrong. He makes a strong case to support the claim that cover crops have the ability to help agriculture produce more crops per acre while also preserving natural resources, including… Read More
There are always certain topics that get people reading, watching, and asking questions. Soil fertility is always on that list. Whether it’s trying to better understand nitrogen loss risk, matching pounds of product to yield potential, anticipating price moves, or evaluating a new product, there’s never a shortage of interest in soil fertility topics. Earlier… Read More
There are a number of key inputs that are required for a crop to be successful and at the top of the list is nitrogen. While crops need nitrogen in order to thrive, there is a balance to be had and too much N is money waste and a potential risk to the environment. In… Read More
Molecules in the air consist of 78 per cent nitrogen. During a lightning storm, the energy of a lightning bolt breaks apart nitrogen molecules, allowing them to form nitrogen oxides. These dissolve in rainwater as nitrates, which fall to the ground with the rain and add nitrogen to soil. Over a decade ago, Joe Lewis,… Read More
Growers can throw the kitchen sink at corn to increase yield but there’s no guarantee that the extra inputs will improve the bottom line when the crop goes to market. That was certainly the story Purdue University associate professor and extension corn specialist Dr. Dan Quinn observed in his trials across Michigan, Indiana and Kentucky… Read More
Grain Farmers of Ontario (GFO) has released its 2025 strategic plan, a four-year roadmap to guide activities that support the GFO’s focus on advocacy, knowledge transfer, market growth, and strong governance as the organization continues its work to bring its mission and vision to life. GFO says its mission is to build, defend, and promote… Read More
What goals should be set for canola yield targets? How have yields been trending? Why is this information important? Achieving a final goal yield at the end of the season is an important component in the profitability of a cropping operation, and setting realistic targets can give producers a reference point from which they can… Read More
This week is all about bone-chilling cold in Ontario and many parts of Western Canada, but does that mean fall seeded crops are in trouble? It depends. On this week’s episode of Wheat Pete’s Word host Peter Johnson explains why growing point location, air temp, and snow cover all matter when expecting survival of winter… Read More