Retiring alfalfa fields used to be a simple process. Conventional tillage farmers would just drop the mouldboard plow in the fall, while those under a minimum tillage system would rely on a glyphosate burndown before planting a new crop the following spring. With the introduction of glyphosate tolerant (GT) alfalfa, however, glyphosate is no longer… Read More
Category: Forage
While some rainfall has returned to very dry areas of the Prairies, many ranchers have already made some tough calls on downsizing herds and flocks to conserve what grass is available for grazing and winter feed. Taking the pressure off existing pasture and hay ground is a smart move to make early. Janice Bruynooghe, of… Read More
While Ontario struggles to dry out, the lucky ones in Western Canada are rejoicing in some meaningful rainfall. It’s been a week of planting, watching weeds grow, and haying in some parts of Ontario, too. What does a little rain mean for Western Canada? Possibly more nitrogen. What do cool temperatures mean for corn in… Read More
Alert! Alert! Alert! It’s May — time to panic! Wait, no, not yet. Yes, weather conditions in both eastern and western Canada have been less than ideal for different reasons, but while farmers are absolutely itching to get rolling in the field, it’s not late…yet. That said, Wheat Pete’s Word host Peter Johnson knows that… 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
On day two of the Saskatchewan Beef Industry Conference being held at Regina, Sask, provincial agriculture minister David Marit, announced more than $5.5 million will be going towards 34 livestock and forage-related research projects through Saskatchewan’s Agriculture Development Fund (ADF) and the Strategic Field Program (SFP). Both programs are supported through the Canadian Agricultural Partnership (CAP),… Read More
More than 20 per cent of Manitoba producers who had select hay or basic hay insurance have claimed they harvested less than 50 per cent of their long-term average hay yield. That significant number has triggered the Hay Disaster Benefit (HDB) to roll out. The HDB was first introduced in 2014 as part of a… Read More
The Canadian Prairies are exactly that — prairie. Rich soil supports incredible crop production now, but the climate, soil, and plants that have mingled and grown here long before agriculture moved in were all about permanent ground cover. Annual cropping leaves soil exposed or even bare if tillage is part of the equation, and while… Read More
It’s nearly Christmas and finally — finally! — corn harvest is done for many, but there are actually many acres of soybeans still yet to be harvested in Ontario. Could soybean seeding be impacted? It’s quite possible given some fields that are still left out are seed crops. Peter Johnson, host of Wheat Pete’s Word, is… Read More
If you’re looking to build soil nutrient levels in pasture, do you order fertilizer or do you buy sheep? If you’re Mike Swidersky and family, you buy sheep as a complement to raising cattle. How does it work? You run the sheep after the cattle (they utilize pasture differently and aren’t susceptible to the other… Read More