One of the big benefits of strip tilling corn is the ability to place fertilizer directly into the berm or strip for greater nutrient efficiency. But as growers rotate out of strip-tilled corn, how can they assess the overall fertility of a field where nutrient placement was concentrated in specific areas? On this edition of… Read More
Western Canada got absolutely hammered by snow this last week, which brings up questions on lifters, stripper headers, and more. For Ontario, soybean harvest is late but rolling, and that means the questions about winter wheat seeding are also rolling in to Wheat Pete’s Word host, Peter Johnson’s mailbox! From when to bump seeding rates,… Read More
If you’re a farmer trying to figure out how to get a handle on fleabane populations, you’re not alone. Last week, it was a top discussion at a grower meeting — Wheat Pete’s Word host Pete Johnson is using that as inspiration to tackle the topic in this week’s podcast. Listeners will also hear a… Read More
Many corn growers across Ontario continue to hold their breath as the late-planted, slow-developing crop continues its march to maturity. In early September, many growers wondered whether the crop would make it, but after a stretch of good weather and an extended forecast that promises more warm days and good nighttime temperatures, the finish line… Read More
Ontario farmers have been strip tilling for almost two decades, but the soil conservation tillage method appears to be gathering momentum across the province. Ian McDonald, Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs crop innovation specialist, says part of the attraction of strip till is its ability to capture the benefits of both conventional… Read More
Kinze is rolling out a new configuration of its 36-row, 20-inch planter for spring 2020. The Iowa-based manufacturer has added a string of technological advancements to its 4700 planter, which it unveiled at the recent Farm Progress Show at Decatur, Illinois. In this video, Eric Broadbent, Kinze’s North American sales director, explains that the new… Read More
There are plenty of questions and feedback rolling in for host of Wheat Pete’s Word, Peter Johnson. This week, Johnson is sharing some of the top marketing feedback he’s heard, what has worked and not worked for some with establishing, alfalfa, and he shares some insight into disease risks for the winter wheat crop following… Read More
Curious, enthusiastic and sceptical farmers welcomed Dot Technology Corp (Dot) to eastern Canada this week as the company rolled out an autonomous row crop planter prototype at Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show. Dot has been a Western Canada phenomenon as Norbert Beaujot, founder of Saskatchewan-based SeedMaster Manufacturing and Dot Technology Corp, has quickly created a buzz… Read More
What are those black spots on the corn stalks? And if I’ve got to choose between two types of fertilizer — how do I know which is worth it? This week’s Wheat Pete’s Word is full to the brim with questions and answers (just like host Peter Johnson likes!). You’ll hear about yield averages rolling… Read More
Case IH is expanding its 2000 series Early Riser planter for the 2020 model year. Two new 60-foot, 15- and 30-inch configurations of the planter will deliver more speed, technology and capacity, says Case IH planter marketing manager Tony McClelland. The new 2160 large front-fold model was unveiled last week at the Farm Progress Show… Read More
Tillering corn may not offer the picturesque vision of a picket fence crop, but it isn’t all bad. Alana Serhan, market development agronomist with PRIDE Seeds, says it’s both a positive and a negative to see tillering. “Typically when you have the presence of tillers it means there’s a lot of nutrients available – a… Read More
Touring corn and soybean fields in late August is traditionally a great way to get a good handle on total yield potential. But in a year with challenging planting conditions for most of the North American corn growing regions, even a tour this late in the summer carries a healthy does of uncertainty given just… Read More
Testing for DON in Ontario’s 2018 corn crop was an incredibly frustrating process for growers. With gibberella ear rot infecting a wide swath of corn in the province, many growers were exasperated when samples from the same load of corn taken from a field would show wide variation in DON levels — sometimes from 3… Read More
From frost risks in the west, to nitrogen deficient corn in the east, and insect and weed issues in between, there’s no shortage of agronomic questions to tackle this week on Wheat Pete’s Word. In this edition, host Peter ‘Wheat Pete’ Johnson shares some of what farmers are seeing in their fields this week as… Read More
Corn needs about 55 to 60 calendar days to go from tassel to black layer… but that holds true, generally speaking for Ontario, if tasseling happens in mid-July. RealAgriculture resident agronomist Peter Johnson says that because that 60 “days” is really a measure of heat accumulation, hitting black layer when tasseling starts in early August… Read More