Breaking yield records has become routine for modern corn hybrids. Much of the credit goes to new and improved genetics, but those bin-busting yields also require more nutrients, and that demand extends well beyond N, P, and K. “As we continue to raise the yield bar we need to start looking at micronutrients with a… Read More
Are you farming vertically? That’s a question Illinois-based agronomist Ken Ferrie believes every grower needs to ask when making soil and field management decisions. At the CropSmart 2019 conference held earlier this year at Kitchener, Ont., Ferrie, who operates Crop-Tech consulting, explained that vertical farming refers to the ability for water to move up and… Read More
It must be April — farmers in Alberta are starting to roll out and farmers in Ontario are ready to pull the plug on wheat. This early April edition of Wheat Pete’s Word is bursting with great questions from across Canada, including PEI, and even down in the U.S., including Pennsylvania and Indiana! Host Peter… Read More
Maizex Seeds has announced it is expanding seed corn production for Canada through the purchase of the former Dow AgroSciences seed corn facility located at Blenheim, Ont. Maizex currently produces and processes seed corn in its facility located near Tilbury, Ont. This expansion follows a recently announced joint venture with Sollio Agriculture, the rebranded agriculture… Read More
It’s too bad we can’t go a week or so without some troubling news, and this week is no exception after reports of European corn borer developing resistance to a hybrid trait. But, don’t fret, as this week’s Wheat Pete’s Word features some real neat and positive discussions, including some soil chat about the hard… Read More
The first day of spring has brought with it a flood of calls and questions on managing the wheat crop as it wakes up — and host Peter “Wheat Pete” Johnson couldn’t be happier. In this week’s Wheat Pete’s Word, we have to start with some incredibly sad news out of Nebraska, where farmers and… Read More
Corn is moving into new territory — mainly west and north — but the agronomic information farmers in these new areas rely on is still largely based on data from places such as Illinois and Iowa. This has provided a basis for new corn farmers to get started, but there are a lot of differences… Read More
Starting in 2019, Ontario growers will have access to a tiered salvage benefit when dealing with deoxynivalenol (DON) in the corn crop. Announced this week via the provincial government, the new tiered salvage benefit will more “accurately reflect the additional costs associated with harvesting and handling corn affected by DON and help producers trying to find… Read More
At a time when farmers are hammering out final crop plans, ranchers and feedlot operators are also looking ahead to ration formulations ahead of the first new-crop harvests. To get a sense of western feed markets, RealAg Radio host Shaun Haney invited Jim Beusekom, president of Market Place Commodities Ltd., on stage at the recent TechTourLIVE… Read More
There’s a new research project underway and a soil scientist from the University of Manitoba is taking the lead on the team. Dr. Mario Tenuta will be guiding a team of Canadian researchers to determine best practises on how to apply nitrogen fertilizer in corn crops in ways that not only increase yields and economic benefit… Read More
You can’t get to a thousand episodes without first hitting 200, and here we are at episode 200 of Wheat Pete’s Word! Host Peter Johnson dedicates this episode to proper nutrient management, and tackles the topic from a few different angles. After all, when people are started to lobby that bodies of water have the… Read More
Imagine planting corn hybrids that could produce 40 to 80 percent of their nitrogen requirements. It’s only 10 years away, says University of Wisconsin–Madison researcher Dr. Vania Pankievicz. The breakthrough comes from a Mexican corn variety called Sierra Mixe. At the recent Innovative Farmers Association of Ontario conference in London, Ontario, Pankievicz explained that the 15-foot tall variety,… Read More
What does your swimming pool and seedbed have in common? Very little! So why is one farmer worried about potassium chloride’s impact on soil bugs? It’s all about the form of nutrients, says Wheat Pete’s Word host, Peter Johnson. In this week’s episode, Johnson wants to hear from you on your top spring wheat yields… Read More
Kinze continues its push to bring innovation to the narrow row planter market with the planned launch of its new 4700 planter set for 2020. Last week at the National Farm Machinery Show at Louisville, Kentucky, Kinze service manager Phil Jennings provided a peek at the technology and innovation growers can expect in the first 36-row/20-inch… Read More
We’re talking rotation trade-offs in this edition of Wheat Pete’s Word — and, no, not just because your host Peter Johnson loves him some wheat crop. It’s all about year three benefits when looking at a three or four year rotations vs. two-year alternating crop plans, Johnson says, and the results could be as high… Read More