Growing a bumper crop of corn requires a big meal of plant nutrients. But if you’re going to feed a hulk of a plant, you’ve got to make sure you protect it too. Fungicides may not always be warranted, but if the yield potential is there and conditions are right for disease development, a fungicide… Read More
Category: Corn
Ontario’s agriculture minister recently announced a move to increased rules and regulation regarding use of neonicotinoid seed treatments on corn and soybeans. As noted, there are no new set regulations on the product’s use at this time, however the government is set to begin a consultation process ahead of rolling out changes to the insecticide’s use…. Read More
If you’ve been drooling over the neighbour’s corn field and wondering how they managed to get such a nice looking crop, wonder no more! As Aaron Stevanus, market agronomist with PRIDE Seeds, shows us in this Corn School episode, the wins of this spring are a combination of timing, patience, homework and, yes, luck. From… Read More
Perhaps we should go ahead and just call 2014 the year of variability. Manitoba farmers struggled with a late, wet spring, as did many parts of Saskatchewan. Alberta has largely fared far better, with the pendulum swinging the other way and into too-dry for the Peace region. Crops can grow their way out of the… Read More
If it’s not raining, maybe it’s time to tromps through the corn field. It doesn’t take long for weed pressure to accumulate in a crop, especially in conditions where the crop canopy is slow to close. But deciding on a re-spray is every bit as complicated as deciding what to spray. Assessments should include staging, health, invasiveness… Read More
What’s your nitrogen management system for maximum corn yields? Do you plan on two applications? More? How do you decide how much and when? There are several great reasons to split applications of nitrogen — it’s good risk management both to your pocketbook and the environment and a great way to capitalize on a crop… Read More
It looks like Ontario’s corn crop will not see the shrinking acreage that many predicted as planting drags into June. That’s the word from Brian Hall, Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food’s canola and edible bean specialist. Hall reports that the consensus coming out of a meeting of agronomists from across central Ontario this week… Read More
As May ticks away, farmers in Ontario continue to wrestle with difficult planting conditions. In this episode of the Agronomy Geeks Ontario podcast, Bernard Tobin and Syngenta agronomic sales manager Shawn Brenneman discuss the pace of #plant14 and the decisions farmers are facing. As of May 21, Brenneman estimates that 40 to 50 percent of… Read More
Grains have traded relatively lower this week as a relatively bearish outlook from the U.S.D.A. last Friday but a bit of a damper on the market. Corn and wheat prices have taken the biggest hit week-over-week as positive planting progress across the border in the U.S. pulled back some of the premium built into the… Read More
Patience wears thin as we head in to May and the ground is still wet and cold. The cost of going in too soon, based on soil conditions and not the calendar, can be mighty costly. If the ground is fit, but a little cool, that’s one thing, but ground that is both wet and… Read More
“You shouldn’t plant until your soil is fit.” It’s a great quote, but what does “fit” soil look like? Well, it’s not just what it looks like, soil fit for planting corn also needs to be warm, though we use the term loosely here in Western Canada. The fact is, regardless of how dry or… Read More
Just as in money management, investments you make in your farm’s soil nutrient bank account may be short or long term. Depending on the nutrient, crop yields, the weather and soil type, nutrient levels and availability may need immediate deposits or a long-term plan to ensure there’s enough “money” there when the crop needs it…. Read More
As Ontario farmers head to the field to plant corn and soybeans, they’ll get their first opportunity to use Fluency Agent, the new Bayer CropScience seed lubricant replacing talc and graphite. Over the past winter there’s been much discussion in agriculture about the health of bees and other pollinators. As a means of integrating as… Read More
Grains are seeing more premium priced in this week as the complex continues to deal with cold weather in North America and the political unrest in Eastern Europe. Due to depreciating currencies and affordable financing available, it’s expected that grain and oilseed acres and production in the Black Sea will decline significantly from last year…. Read More
In this episode of the Corn School, Bernard Tobin and OMAF Corn Lead Greg Stewart turn to a chalkboard to draw up some nitrogen strategies for the 2014 corn crop. Throughout the winter meeting season, Stewart touted a split application approach to nitrogen. He recommends growers put down 100 lb of nitrogen pre-plant and then… Read More