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: Seed
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
If you’ve lived out west for any length of time, one of the things you’ve probably noticed is that farmers are pretty good at taking advantage of any opportunity they have to get their crop in the ground early. Around the clock seeding, multiple drills in fields and rotating shifts in the tractors are just… Read More
The flax industry in Canada is still in recovery trying to manage the triffid flax discovery of 2009. Triffid, a genetically modified form of flax, was ordered destroyed over 10 years ago over concerns that the European Union would reject it. Those fears over rejection were enough reason for farmers, considering that the EU buys… Read More
The Triffid flax export issue with Europe was a major story of 2010. All stakeholders in the flax value chain were impacted with great severity. Farmers couldn’t move inventory, prices plummeted, and exporters had cargo in limbo. The finger pointing was intense as everyone searched for the reasons that the previously approved trait had worked… Read More
Spring is a very hectic time for farmers. As farmers know there are time on seed restrictions for inoculants. We have all been through the scenario of applying inoculants to your soybeans in the morning and by the afternoon it is pouring rain. As you can imagine this can be very stressful when you use… Read More
Can you imagine 300 bushel corn? I asked an industry person this question this week and he said, “I didn’t think that 200 bushel corn was possible.” After being at the South West Ag conference this week, it might surprise you that all the discussed yield increase is not just in genetic advancements. Several different… Read More
By Shaun Haney Due to the demand for canola acres this fall, canola seed is in high demand from growers across the prairies. For some reason some farmers are asking questions about the quality of carry over canola seed from last year. The assumption is that whether bare or previously treated, the carry over seed… Read More
Luckily most farmers were able to complete harvest in Western Canada prior this very quick shift to cold and snow. As is the case with every year this is the time when farmers and seed producers begin to send in samples to seed labs. Who better to talk about the quality of seed in Western… Read More