If a corn plant emerges one, two or three days after its neighbour, will it yield less? Real Agriculture resident agronomist Peter Johnson is determined to find out. At the SouthWest Ag Conference last January, National Corn Growers Association yield contest champion Randy Dowdy challenged growers to plant a flag test on their farm to… Read More
To some growers, it’s an old idea; to others, it’s completely new. The concept of peola — intercropping peas and canola — has been around in Western Canada for decades, but with new varieties and weed control options, the practice seems to be gaining momentum again. In 2009, the Westman Agricultural Diversification Organization found an attention-grabbing yield… Read More
What impact do bigger corn plants that stay greener longer have on soybean yield? That’s a question OMAFRA soybean specialist Horst Bohner hears a lot these days. The answer depends on a number of factors explains Bohner in this episode of Real Agriculture Soybean School. He notes that corn is indeed producing a larger amount… Read More
In theory, the application of a plant growth regulator to wheat should result in shorter, stronger plants that are less prone to lodging, enabling higher yield potential. In reality, it’s not that simple. “I wish it was a nice black and white, straightforward story, but it certainly isn’t,” says Sheri Strydhorst, who’s done extensive work… Read More
In this week’s Word, Peter Johnson, resident agronomist for RealAgriculture and host of this weekly podcast, shares highlights from the FarmSmart and YieldSmart conferences, Ag Days in Brandon, as well as answers to several specific questions on thin wheat stands, manure management, under-seeding with red clover and more. Have a question for Wheat Pete? Call 1-844-540-2014, send… Read More
Wheat and barley grower organizations from across Western Canada are trying to figure out how to move forward with farmer involvement in variety development. The transitional Western Canadian wheat and barley check-offs implemented by the federal government with the end of the Canadian Wheat Board’s monopoly in 2012 are set to expire in 2017. The majority… Read More
Ontario crop yields have exploded over the last 35 years. Corn yields have increased by 80% during this time and soybeans are not that far behind at 65%. Those big yield gains create a much greater draw on soil nutrients. In the case of corn, for example, the average corn crop now removes 63 lbs… Read More
On this week’s Word, Peter Johnson, resident agronomist for RealAgriculture and host of this weekly podcast, gets into the hows and whys of reducing phosphorus losses, managing this year’s wheat crop, and tillage on manure. Have a question for Wheat Pete? Call 1-844-540-2014, send him a tweet (@wheatpete), or email him at [email protected] Highlights: Ag needs to figure out… Read More
More than 280 Certified Crop Advisors (CCAs) jammed into a London, Ontario hotel last week to talk agronomy, information and regulation. It was the largest turnout ever for the Ontario Certified Crop Advisors Association annual meeting since the event began 13 years ago. The province currently has 545 active CCAs and the number is expected… Read More
A pair of major wheat research announcements coincided with the Saskatchewan Wheat Development Commission’s annual general meeting in Saskatoon on Wednesday. Saskatchewan Agriculture Minister Lyle Stewart announced $1.5 million for six projects through the Canadian Wheat Alliance. Industry and government partners from across the prairies are also contributing $1.7 million to the genetic and agronomic… Read More
How do specific corn hybrids respond to intensive management practices? Do they deliver higher yields? Are those extra bushels profitable for growers? Those are some of the questions the Ontario Corn Committee (OCC) is trying to answer with its new intensive management corn trials. At the SouthWest Agricultural Conference in early January, OCC’s Dr. David… Read More
If farmers want to supersize their corn yields, they have to challenge conventional thinking and become students of the crop. That was the main message National Corn Growers Association yield contest champion Randy Dowdy shared with hundreds of farmers at the 2016 SouthWest Agricultural Conference in Ridgetown, Ontario earlier this week. In 2014, Dowdy set… Read More
An international group of scientists working on mapping the genetic code for wheat say they’ve reached a major milestone that will help them reach their goal several years earlier than expected. The International Wheat Genome Sequencing Consortium project, which is co-led by two Canadians and partly funded by Canadian farmers, announced yesterday it has produced… Read More
This week’s Word starts off with comments and feedback from last week’s rant on tillage. Peter Johnson, resident agronomist for RealAgriculture and host of this weekly podcast, discusses tillage, late nitrogen on corn, and so much more. Have a question for Wheat Pete? Call 1-844-540-2014, send him a tweet (@wheatpete), or email him at [email protected] Highlights: The Three T’s… Read More
There’s been plenty of discussion about split nitrogen applications in corn — what’s the best way to maximize yield potential? In this week’s Word with Peter Johnson, resident agronomist for RealAgriculture and host of this weekly podcast, he delves into the research looking at nitrogen application timing, method, formulation and more. It’s a surprisingly corn-focused update from a… Read More