Dairy and cattle producers need high palatability and digestibility in the forage ration for top production, but it’s also very important that forages persist and thrive even after tough Canadian winters. For 2019, Nutrien Ag Solutions is offering two new alfalfa lines —Halo 2 and PV Parlour HG — that fit the bill. Sheldon Hains, forage… Read More
Category: Crop Production
Have you ever discovered small, misshapen, poorly pollinated corn ears mixed in with a field of impressive, high-yielding cobs? PRIDE Seeds agronomist Drew Thompson received a call in August from a grower telling just this story. When Thompson visited the field he noted that no nutrient deficiencies were apparent (no firing or discolouration) so out came… Read More
“Brutal” is just one word being used to describe some of the corn coming off in Ontario. While yields are good, a perfect storm of disease-inducing conditions at and following pollination has left a chunk of the 2018 corn crop riddled with myctoxins, most notably vomitoxin. “There is still lots of good corn in Ontario,”… Read More
Each fall the Western Forum on Pest Management meets to review the previous growing season. Scientists, researchers, and agronomists get together to compare notes on what happened during the previous growing season. This helps everyone get a better understanding of the issues so that they can help each other help farmers. Dale Leftwich, field editor… Read More
Every year is different when it comes to growing a crop. The summer growing conditions are unpredictable and, as we have seen this year, harvest can go from great to brutal in one weather event. The same is true with seed: every sample can offer its own surprises. RealAgriculture’s Dale Leftwich recently attended the Western… Read More
AT ISSUE The Ontario government recently announced extensive amendments to Bill 148, the former Liberal government’s labour and wage reform bill which included a phased-in minimum wage hike. Included in the new “Making Ontario Open for Business Act,” is a freeze on the next planned jump in the minimum wage, from $14/hour to $15/hour, until… Read More
As Mother Nature brought too little to no moisture during the growing season and then an abundance of a rain and snow during harvest, the Canadian Grain Commission (CGC) has extended its sample program. “We decided to extend the deadline for harvest sample submissions to make sure that as many producers as possible could take… Read More
Ontario ministry of agriculture weed specialist Mike Cowbrough says it’s easy to pick on a herbicide when it doesn’t meet your weed control expectations. Unfortunately, he says, most growers don’t often have an opportunity to compare herbicide programs in their own field using check strips or unsprayed areas to test performance. But Cowbrough does have… Read More
When you don’t have something nice to say you’re supposed to say nothing at all, but if you’ve ever met Peter ‘Wheat Pete’ Johnson you already know that’s not his style. Besides, the Ontario corn crop is such a mess there’s no way to NOT talk about it. This week’s Wheat Pete’s Word isn’t all… Read More
The Organic Council of Ontario (OCO) has received funding to develop a data strategy specific to Ontario’s organic industry. The funding, awarded through the Canadian Agricultural Partnership program, will support a study to identify the most relevant data gaps in the organic industry, assess current and potential data tracking and collection points, and plan for a sustainable… Read More
Agronomist Peter Johnson has been visiting cornfields and elevators to get a handle on the extent of vomitoxin levels in the Ontario corn crop. In this episode of RealAgriculture’s Corn School, Johnson discusses Ontario’s recent Grain Corn Ear Mould and Vomitoxin (DON) Survey, and notes that some samples coming off the combine have tested as… Read More
This month, the University of Saskatchewan awarded more than $8 million towards research projects. Large amounts to the tune of $200K, even $375K surely grabbed most peoples attention, but my eyes shifted more towards Jacqueline Toews’s research. Toews has been awarded $17,500 in scholarship money to continue her research on the efficacy of grazing cattle on… Read More
There is a secret society working to protect Western Canadian crops from diseases and insects. Ok, it’s not actually secret, but not too many know about it either. The Western Forum on Pest Management (WFPM) meets each fall to get a preliminary handle on the threats that appeared in fields, orchards, and greenhouses during the… Read More
EDITOR’S NOTE This situation is evolving daily — please contact Agricorp directly for the latest parameters on dealing with high-ppm corn. ** Agricorp is keeping a close eye on vomitoxin levels in Ontario’s corn crop and telling growers not to destroy any crop at this time. The provincial risk management program provider has indicated it… Read More
With a little luck, RealAgriculture agronomist Peter Johnson believesOntario farmers could still plant one million acres of winter wheat this fall. In this episode of RealAgriculture’s Wheat School, Johnson says it’s not too late to plant wheat in most of the province. Late-planted wheat can still deliver strong yields, but growers have to pay strict… Read More