It hurts RealAgriculture agronomist Peter Johnson to talk about broadcasting winter wheat seed into standing soybeans, but growers have been peppering him with questions about the practice. Johnson would rather see growers plant wheat with a drill but with many Ontario soybean fields “green as grass” as the calendar turns to September, in some areas… Read More
Category: Seeding
The biological market in agriculture is growing exponentially, as many companies are investing in development and introducing products that contain bacteria or fungi that are supposed to provide a significant benefit to a farmer’s crop or soil. It’s up to farmers and their agronomists and retailers to not only determine whether a biological product works… Read More
Soybeans will pop out of warm spring soil a few days after planting, but they often sit for weeks before breaking the surface when planted early in cool, no-till environments. On this episode of the RealAgriculture Soybean School, host Bernard Tobin and Abhi Deora, head of Syngenta Canada’s Seedcare Institute, look at how soil temperatures… Read More
“We’ve always done it that way” isn’t always the best approach in farming, and that includes the decision on how much fertilizer to put down with canola at seeding. Canola is sensitive to fertilizer toxicity, especially in dry soil conditions. It’s well worth revisiting what’s traditionally been considered a safe rate in the seed row,… Read More
Many agronomic and environmental factors can contribute to uneven soybean emergence. From variable planting depth to moisture availability at seeding depth or untimely rains that seal some seeds underground — every uneven soybean field has a story. Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs soybean specialist Horst Bohner has seen his fair share of… Read More
The weeks following planting season — when problems that arose during planting are still top of mind and planter-related issues can be identified in the field — offer an opportunity to pro-actively perform maintenance and upgrades before parking the planter in the back of the shed. The summer months can also coincide with equipment dealer… Read More
The proof is in the plant stand when it comes to evaluating how a corn planter performed in spring. This episode of RealAgriculture’s Corn School is all about grading planter performance, as we head to a field near Homewood, Man., with Breanne Rey of PRIDE Seeds and planter expert Andrew Kippen of North Valley Precision… Read More
A bag of seed corn checks in at 80,000 kernels and typically weighs between 35 and 65 pounds. One bag will plant roughly 2.5 acres. But the job of producing that seed is very different than growing a commercial corn crop. On this episode of RealAgriculture’s Corn School, we kick off a three-part series on… Read More
The rule of thumb for planting soybeans in Western Canada has generally been to wait until the soil is 10 degrees C — often after canola is in the ground, but there are a number of reasons, including historical yield data, that suggest the crop would benefit from earlier planting. This Soybean School episode, recorded… Read More
Record yields in 2022 after a late start are raising some questions about the assumption that earlier is always better for planting corn in Manitoba and other northern growing areas. Historical averages in Manitoba show a downward trend in yield with each week that passes in May, but the 2022 crop set a new bar… Read More
When talking about flea beetles and flea beetle pressure, it’s really all a numbers game. How can we get the least amount of insects across a wide range of plants? The key, says Jack Payne of South Country Co-op, is uniform seeding and emergence. Getting canola crop off to a quick and even start will… Read More
What’s old is new again, or at least as relevant as ever when it comes to managing herbicide resistant weeds. Research led by Charles Geddes, weed scientist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada at Lethbridge, shows cultural practices — tighter row spacing, higher seeding rates, and longer crop rotations — can be just as effective as… Read More
Before seed even goes in the ground, farmers are asking the question: how do I make the most of this crop? How do I ensure my yield potential is where it should be? Jeremy Boychyn, agronomy research extension manager with the Alberta Wheat and Barley Commissions, joins us in our latest episode of the Wheat… Read More
The seed meter is the heartbeat of the planter. Research from Precision Planting indicates that one per cent singulation accuracy can equal plus or minus two bushels in the field. On this episode of the RealAgriculture Soybean School, Cullen Tinline, from Kearney Planters, looks at a range of seed meters and offers tips on what… Read More
Case IH is aiming to help growers get the most out of every seed with new AFS Furrow Command for its precision disc series air drills. The technology essentially allows growers to automate downforce on the parallel-link row-units to maintain consistent seed depth regardless of terrain. The company unveiled AFS Furrow Command downforce automation last… Read More