RealAgriculture agronomist Peter Johnson is keeping a close eye on relay intercropping trials planted in Ontario this summer. The objective of the research is to evaluate whether Ontario farmers could effectively plant soybeans into standing wheat versus double cropping soybeans that are planted after wheat is harvested. In this video, Johnson inspects an intercropping trial at… Read More
Category: Crop Production
It’s not often that we hear about first-generation farmers. It’s also rare to hear about someone picking up and moving provinces to begin to farm, but that’s what Steve Larocque did, moving from near Greely, Ontario, to eventually farm at Three Hills, Alberta. Larocque isn’t just any grain farmer, either. Admittedly, he’s small scale and… Read More
As a crop input, phosphorus is one of those nutrients we tend to think about early, make application decisions as we are seeding, and then all too often, do not think about again until the next growing season. In reality, our crops have a season-long need for phosphate, and this singular focus and approach to… Read More
Nobody can light a fire under an issue like President Donald Trump, even if he openly admits he doesn’t understand it. Speaking in Fargo, North Dakota, on Wednesday night, the president was given some speaking points on the issue of how U.S. wheat is graded in Canada — one of the few agriculture trade irritants… Read More
Wheat has been progressing rapidly thanks to seasonally high temperatures in many areas over the past few weeks, quickly moving into and through the early flowering stage. Early flower is when a fungicide application to prevent fusarium head blight (FHB) is recommended. “Typically we’d expect flowering to start three days after head emergence, and flowering… Read More
After delivering some big surprises in its seeding intentions report back in April, Statistics Canada moved more in line with market expectations in its seeded acreage report published on Friday morning, ahead of the USDA’s latest acreage estimates. The report was based on a survey of approximately 24,500 farms between May 11 and June 12,… Read More
The Pest Management Regulatory Agency recently announced results of its re-evaluation of Mancozeb, a broad-spectrum fungicide for agriculture and horticulture crops. Perhaps curiously, the PMRA final decision allows for the continued use of Mancozeb for foliar use on potato crops, the largest acreage use of the fungicide currently. All other uses of Mancozeb are being cancelled… Read More
Strip tillage in corn is growing in popularity in Ontario, but we don’t often see the tillage strategy employed in soybeans. On this episode of RealAgriculture’s Soybean School, AGRIS Co-operative agronomist Dale Cowan takes us to a strip-tilled field, which features twin row, 7.5-inch soybeans planted on 30-inch centres. In the field, Cowan’s bother, Larry… Read More
Each July canola growers are faced with the difficult question, “Should I or shouldn’t I spray for sclerotinia?” In the more humid parts of Western Canada, sclerotinia is a huge yield robber. It usually strikes on the years when the canola crop has its greatest yield potential, but spraying is expensive and proper timing can… Read More
Dry conditions across much of Western Canada have some growers wrestling with the decision on whether or not to apply a fungicide — or to go with one application instead of two — to prevent leaf disease and fusarium head blight infection. There are several factors to consider, says Kelly Turkington, with Agriculture and Agri-Food… Read More
Ontario has turned into the land of extremes, where wet areas are suffering through excessive rainfall when it happens, while other areas wither in the dry and the heat. There is one near-perfect area — the Ottawa Valley — and host Peter Johnson figures it’s so perfect out that way, he doesn’t have to answer… Read More
The ripple effect from Bayer’s acquisition of Monsanto continues in the canola seed business. Canada’s Competition Bureau says it has approved BASF’s purchase of Bayer’s LibertyLink canola system on the condition that BASF sell its own Clearfield production system for canola. “The Commissioner of Competition concluded that BASF’s acquisition of the Bayer assets would likely… Read More
With growing interest in using planter technology to improve seed placement in canola, Väderstad has introduced a new 24-row high-speed planter designed specifically for small-seed crops. The Tempo L 24 made its debut at Canada’s Farm Progress Show at Regina, Saskatchewan, last week. “This is the first time we’ve had 24 row units on this style… Read More
Monsanto and Corteva Agriscience — the newly-named agriculture division of DowDuPont — say they have reached a licensing agreement that clears the way for Corteva to offer Roundup Ready 2 Xtend soybeans under its new Brevant seed brand in Canada. The non-exclusive, royalty bearing deal also allows Corteva to incorporate the stacked trait that combines… Read More
Every year at harvest, weed seeds are spread across the field through the back of most combines, setting the stage for weed competition across the entire field. A company in Western Australia has developed a tool to confine those weed seeds to the combine’s wheel tracks. The EMAR Chaff Deck replaces the chaff spreader on… Read More