All farmers try to take advantage of early good conditions to try and plant early. Many farmers calculate the risk of replanting and take the gamble that they are comfortable with. A late spring frost could wreck havoc on the corn plant if the growing point was impacted. What makes 2012 different is that a… Read More
Category: Seed
Establishing a seed grade can be a frustrating process at times, especially at point of sale. If a seed lot is on the edge, there is a lot riding on what grade it ends up making. If the crop is graded on site, there can be a lot of areas where doubt can arise as… Read More
A good crop starts with good quality seed. As far as choosing that seed goes, most producers make that choice based on two factors, germ and vigour. Those two things are critical, but they don’t tell the whole story. The truth is that there are other unseen things that, if unaddressed can have a major… Read More
Germination tests are standard when it comes to any seed lot. A lot of seed for sale has to tested for germination so that the farmer or seed company can decide whether the seed lot will be suitable for sale. Farmers that are saving seed also need to make sure that their saved seed will… Read More
With the release of the Ontario 2011 hybrid corn performance trials, growers get a chance to review how last years varieties performed and what might be a good idea to plant in 2012. As always there are many options and getting as much information as possible can help narrow down some of these tough decisions. … Read More
A couple weeks ago at the Canadian Seed Trade Association meeting in Toronto, the seed industry released a video that demonstrates the challenges ahead for agriculture. You may know the issue as the “feeding the world” challenge. The video demonstrates the realities but at the same time lays the groundwork for the role of… Read More
For farmers in the West finished harvest, there is a tendency to sit back and breathe a big sigh of relief and rightly so. However, as any farmer who’s had a bin full of grain go bad can tell you, it’s not a time to sit back and forget about that crop. Monitoring and conditioning… Read More
RealAgriculture.com is happy to present a new feature segment we call “Under the Microscope”. We have partnered with BioVision Seed Labs to educate and inform producers with respect to what goes on inside the seed lab and hopefully take some of the mystery out of the process. In the first episode we talk to Holly… Read More
Soybean harvest is about to get revved up in Ontario and farmers get to see firsthand just how well their varieties performed. Now is the time when farmers start to evaluate some of the claims attached to their soybean seed suppliers and maybe do some coffee shop comparisons. Considering the obvious factors like planting date… Read More
This episode of “Why Should I Buy” may have you looking ahead to next spring as we talk to representatives from Syngenta, Dekalb, Pioneer and Pride Seeds regarding corn seed. Todays episode takes place from the grounds of Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show in Woodstock Ontario where we talk to Bob Thirlwall of DEKALB, Steve Denys… Read More
By Holly Gelech, Biovision Seed Labs The 12th International Symposium on Pre-Harvest Sprouting in Cereals was hosted the week of July 24th in Red Deer, Alberta and was attended by 60 participants from all regions of the globe. The 35 speakers, who originated from Australia, China, Japan, United Kingdom, Africa, Canada and many others countries,… Read More
By Ken Coles, FarmingSmarter.com In July I attended the Precision Ag Conference in Springfield, Illinois. I though in my first blog post I would cover my thoughts and observations at the conference. Day 1 Last week Brent Nicol and I attended the infoag, precision ag conference in Springfield, Illinois. (www.infoag.org). Not being a seasoned… Read More
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
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
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