Diversity pays dividends in crop production but researchers, agronomists and farmers really don’t have a good grasp of how and why different crops impact each others in the rotation. University of Guelph crop researcher Dr. Dave Hooker is never shy to champion more diverse rotations. Research from long-term trials at the University of Guelph’s Ridgetown… Read More
Category: Agronomy
How about an 18-row corn head that folds for transport and also flexes to follow the contours of fields with eroded hills or terraces? That’s the big news from combine head manufacturer Geringhoff at Agritechnica, the agriculture innovation showcase in Hanover, Germany. In this report, Geringhoff product manager Hendrik Schneider tells RealAgriculture’s Shaun Haney that… Read More
The number of Ontario certified crop advisors (CCA) continues to swell as the provincial organization reports that its membership now boasts 669 agronomists who carry the designation. Ontario Certified Crop Advisor Association chair Aaron Breimer says one of the keys to the growth of CCA ranks is the collaborative efforts of all stakeholders — from… Read More
Corn has some leaf lessons to teach us, if only we’ll listen. That’s just one of the take-home messages from last week’s Ontario Ag Conference, the SWAC stop, says Peter “Wheat Pete” Johnson in this week’s podcast. There’s also a discussion on soil health, managing cover crops, and nitrogen use efficiency in corn. Have a… Read More
The way pulse varieties are developed in Saskatchewan is evolving, with more announcements of pulse breeding agreements on the way in 2024, says Carl Potts, executive director of the Saskatchewan Pulse Growers (SPG). An agreement with Limagrain was announced in July of 2022, the first of its kind, and growers will likely see a new… Read More
ADAMA Canada has launched Maxentis fungicide for use on lentils, canola, soybeans and peas. Maxentis is a dual active ingredient product, featuring Asorbital 2 formulation technology. It is the first fungicide in Canada to combine prothioconazole and azoxystrobin into one product. Asorbital 2 allows for systemic and trans-laminar movement to move the fungicide throughout the… Read More
Growers and agronomists typically focus on the ear leaf at flowering when tissue testing corn to determine nutrient needs. But is that still the best choice for determining the optimal nutrient prescription for the crop as it moves into the reproductive stages? Purdue University professor emeritus Dr. Tony Vyn believes the evolution of modern hybrids… Read More
What drives maximum corn yield? We kick off a new season of The Agronomists talking about the king of them all — corn. To tackle the topics of hybrid selection, the planting pass, disease considerations, and fertility, host Lyndsey Smith is joined by Paul Sullivan of Sullivan Agro, Mark Foster of Jockbrae Farms, and Nicole… Read More
Happy New Year! What an incredible start to the year with the launch of the Professional Women’s Hockey League. Toronto lost, but so did Ottawa (in OT) on January 2. Not the greatest start for Ontario teams, but host Peter “Wheat Pete” Johnson will take it. On to agronomy, this week’s challenge is to think… Read More
Keeping it simple has been a key to 35 years of market leadership for MacDon’s FlexDraper headers. In this report from Agritechnica, MacDon product support specialist Myles Shastko tells RealAg’s Shaun Haney that while some competitors have tried to “reinvent the wheel”, the Manitoba-based company has opted to focus on the consistent, dependable performance delivered… Read More
Jason Deveau, application technology specialist with Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, and Tom Wolf, co-founder of Agrimetrix — and both of Sprayers 101 — are BACK for this episode of Exploding Sprayer Myths! If you’re cleared to fly a drone, spraying product with a drone is easy peasy, right? Actually, that’s a… Read More
Bednar will be bringing its new Directo No seed drill to North America for 2024. Manufactured by family-owned Czech company, the seed drill is designed for direct seeding of various crops into uncultivated soil, stubble fields, catch crops or heavy and rocky soils. Jan Bednar, the company’s business director, says the Directo No 6000 seeder… Read More
DJI is getting ready to take flight with its largest agriculture drone ever for international markets. The Agras T50 has been flying in China and is set to land in North America in the near future, says DJI Agriculture’s Toby Knisely. The high payload capacity drone is capable of carrying 40 litres of liquid or 50… Read More
Soybeans or corn? Which seed makes the most sense to plant first next spring? Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs soybean specialist Horst Bohner says good arguments can be made for planting either crop first. The best solution might be to buy a second planter and start rolling with both crops at the… Read More
Happy holidays, one and all, and gather ’round as it’s time for the last episode of Wheat Pete’s Word for 2023! For this episode, host Peter Johnson is coming to you from the city of London — the British one — where he’s spending time with family, but also touring some farms and research plots… Read More