What’s the secret to growing those gigantic corn yields that turn a select few U.S. farmers into corn yield contest kings? Purdue University corn guru Dr. Bob Nielsen has been pouring over National Corn Yield Contest data and crop input and management summaries from winners for almost two decades. What has he learned? After all… Read More
Welcome to the first Wheat Pete’s Word of 2021! To kick off the year, host Peter Johnson has some key reminders (check those bins!) and answers to some of the top agronomy questions from the last growing season. He also shares about a successful “extra 15 minutes” and drops a “call your friends” challenge. Listen… Read More
Welcome back for this 2021 season of RealAg LIVE! To kick off the New Year, we’re talking planning, planning, and more planning when it comes to corn acres in the year ahead. To get the goods on what main areas to focus on — from hybrid selection and trials, to resistance management, overall agronomy, and even… Read More
Mexico’s president has published a decree beginning the phase out of the use of glyphosate and genetically modified corn in the country. Biosafety authorities of the country will “revoke and refrain from granting permits” for genetically modified corn, including imports. The decree from President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador published on December 31, 2020 cites protection… Read More
Corn rootworm, manure, and soybeans — farmers don’t often hear those three words in the same sentence but we’ve come to expect the unexpected in 2020. With growing resistance to corn rootworm traits in Ontario, many farmers who typically plant continuous corn will look to control the pest by expanding rotations to include soybeans. But… Read More
It’s the first day of winter, and perhaps the beginning of a few weeks of quiet, rest, and reflection before a new year, and the slow speed up to another spring. The grain markets show no sign of slowing down however, and that’s got some wondering how much steam some of these markets have, and… Read More
Any optimism over the updated Clean Fuel Standard, set to be revealed Friday, December 18, has been over-shadowed by last week’s environmental plan that includes an upward incline in carbon taxes to 2023. Markus Haerle, chair of the Grain Farmers of Ontario, has many positive things to say about the opportunity for diverting corn into… Read More
When it comes to gauging the success of management decisions, it’s important to run more than one replication in a trial — observing differences is a great way to decide on what might deserve a closer look next year. In this week’s Wheat Pete’s Word, host Peter Johnson shares some of the plot results that… Read More
Sixty-inch spacing for corn is sure not for everyone, but the math and soil conservation rewards can work for farmers who have limited rotations and can benefit from extended grazing for livestock on well-established cover crops. That’s Sunderland, Ontario, farmer Ed Hanson’s takeaway from the first year of growing corn in 60-inch rows on his… Read More
Early indications were that DON levels were low in Ontario’s 2020 corn crop; however, hot spots of higher levels of infection have surfaced, with later-harvested grain showing increased DON levels. The resulting dried distiller’s grain (DDGs) and condensed distillers solubles (CDS) from corn used for ethanol production may approach allowable DON limits for animal feed… Read More
Nothing good happens after midnight, or when corn is left out in the field. Some farmers are learning that DON levels in corn can really spike if the crop has been left out to let that gibberella grow. In this week’s Wheat Pete’s Word, host Peter Johnson has that caution, plus a discussion on being… Read More
Keep your soil covered, do as little tillage as possible, maintain a living root system 365 days a year, and fit it all into an economic model that makes money: this is sustainable soil health. It’s a challenge, for sure, but it’s one Dresden, Ont., farmer Woody Van Arkel is happy to tackle. On this… Read More
This week’s Wheat Pete’s Word features a lot of corn talk. But wait a minute Pete, isn’t your favourite crop wheat? Don’t worry, host Peter Johnson has quite a few corn questions, some chat about fall vs spring fertilizer applications, and eventually talks wheat. Have a question you’d like Johnson to address or some yield… Read More
Can we eat our way out of climate change? If we all became vegans could we eliminate livestock and put a big dent in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions? Those are just some of the questions Dr. Sara Place tackles daily in her job as Elanco Animal Health’s chief sustainability officer. Earlier this week, Place joined… Read More
If your wheat looks tough but the neighbour’s doesn’t, it’s time to sit down and try and figure out what impact your own management is having on your fields. That’s just one take-home message from this week’s Wheat Pete’s Word. Host Peter Johnson explains what the likely culprits are of purple, red, and yellow wheat,… Read More
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