The 2018 growing season has thrown Ontario farmers more than a few curve balls, including severe drought, but this latest at harvest is likely the toughest to manage. Ontario’s provincial agriculture department has released its annual corn crop toxin survey, and the numbers are not good. A whopping 25% of crop surveyed came in at… Read more »
Category: Crop Storage
Wheat Pete’s Word, Oct 3: Soybean standstill, toxin problems, and strip till answers
There are not one, but two Alert! Alert! Alert! segments in this week’s Wheat Pete’s Word, and that’s just how she goes in a wet, snowy, long, drawn out harvest. Host Peter Johnson is talking wheat storage woes, mycotoxin trouble, and strip tillage tips and tricks in this early October edition of the Word. You’ll… Read more »
New GSI grain bins feature automated cleanout with inflatable liners
Tired of brooms and shovels and all that dusty work to clean out grain bins after they’ve been emptied? Farmers who’ve had enough of the ‘clean out’ grind will want to take a look at the new Z-Series bins from GSI. The Z-Series, featuring Flexwave technology, will be available this fall. GSI demonstrated how the… Read more »
Canola School: Can your fans keep up with large bin size?
The average size of a new grain bin in Western Canada has grown dramatically in recent years. 1,650 bushel flat-bottom bins, while still needed in some cases, are turning into relics of the past. “Right now, the average bin going up is around 25,000 bushels,” says Lorne Grieger of the Prairie Agricultural Machinery Institute (PAMI),… Read more »
Medical 3D imaging technology adapted to monitor moisture in grain bins
A medical imaging technology developed at the University of Manitoba for breast cancer detection has been adapted for a new application: monitoring grain in storage. The GrainViz system uses a series of electromagnetic antennas mounted around the inside of a grain bin, which generate a real-time 3D image of the contents of the bin. “You… Read more »
Corn School: Could 2017 be another vomitoxin year?
A late-maturing crop, difficult environmental conditions, significant insect pressure and potential for late-season leaf disease…although too early to tell – this growing list of factors could lead to another year of high vomitoxin levels in the Ontario corn crop. In this episode of RealAgriculture Corn School, OMAFRA plant pathologist Albert Tenuta takes a look at the… Read more »
Wheat Pete’s Word, Jan 25: Wheat Dormancy, Peaola, and Traveling N
Will bare fields and warm weather cause wheat to break dormancy? And if so, could we be looking at a wheat price rally for 2017? That’s where we start with Wheat Pete’s Word, and from there Peter Johnson takes us on a wild agronomy ride that covers strip-tilling dry beans into hay ground, what to… Read more »
BeGrainSafe Sees Official Launch at Manitoba AgDays
The Canadian Agricultural Safety Association (CASA) is officially launching BeGrainSafe, its new grain safety program. The official launch of the program will be at Manitoba Ag Days in Brandon this week from January 17 to 19, 2017. “Ag Days has time and again shown commitment to farm safety. This launch gives CASA the opportunity to showcase the… Read more »
GSI Bin Sweep Adds Durability To Keep Grain Flowing
Looking to avoid downtime when uploading grain? Tired of shovelling grain away from the bin wall that the sweep can’t reach? These are two headaches GSI wants to remedy with its new grain bin direct gear drive (DGD) power sweep. The company showed off the DGD power sweep last month at the Farm Progress Show in… Read more »
Wheat Pete’s Word — Sept 29: Punky Corn Cobs, Yield Monitor Highs, & Orange Gas Warnings
Yes, we’re a day late with Wheat Pete’s Word, but it was so worth it because we broke a record for most questions in a week! Well, OK, that’s not quite true, but it was so close — so hats off to you, dear listeners and readers, we really do appreciate all the interactions and… Read more »
Beef School: Ep.1 — Supercharge Forage With Silage Inoculants
Do you inoculate your silage? If not, you could be losing out on added digestibility or leaving the bunk or silo open to added spoilage. In this very first episode of the Beef School, we meet with Dr. Tim McAllister, principal research scientist, ruminant nutrition & microbiology, with Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada, to learn more… Read more »
GSI Dryers Get Hi-Tech Retrofit
If you are looking to upgrade your farm’s drying capabilities for 2016 you can always buy the latest model dryer – or just go retro. Real Agriculture caught up with GSI’s Conditioning Applications Manager Gary Woodruff at the National Farm Machinery Show in Louisville, Kentucky to discuss what’s new in the company’s grain storage and… Read more »
Wheat School: Preventing and Managing an Insect Problem in the Bin
15 degrees Celsius or cooler. That’s where temperatures should be at in stored grain to prevent an insect infestation. “The key is if you can get your grain temperature down to plus-15 as quickly as possible, any bugs that are in there will not be feeding and will not be reproducing,” explains Blaine Timlick, stored products… Read more »
Under the Microscope: It’s Re-Test Time! Plus, Which Seed is Already in Short Supply
The hangover of 2014’s long, drawn out, wet harvest has already taken a toll on seed supplies of certain crop types for 2015, says Holly Gelech, Biovision Seed Lab’s business development manager. The full fallout, however, has likely not been realized. “Farmers did a great job this fall getting seed samples in early,” says Gelech,… Read more »
Corn School: Harvest & Storage Procedures for Low Test Weight, High Moisture Corn
31-33% moisture: that’s when corn reaches physiological maturity, or black layering, according to Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA). But, harvesting corn above 28% can result in damage to the grain, difficult marketing and the burdens of attempting to dry in storage. This late in the season, stalk quality may make the… Read more »