The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs is piloting a print-on-demand service for some of its extension publications, including the Guide to Weed Control. In addition, a few crop production publications have just now been made available for free download. The ministry says the pay-as-you-need service through a third party allows “clients to access hardcopies… Read More
Category: Crop Production
Hot, humid weather across much of corn-growing areas of Ontario has the crop adding a leaf stage about every four days. As corn pops in to that 4-leaf to 5-leaf stage, it’s time to get some dust on the boots and check three key aspects of early crop establishment: plant health, weed escapes, and planter… Read More
As the calendar inches ever closer to June, host of Wheat Pete’s Word and resident agronomist, Peter Johnson, is tackling your top agronomy questions for side-dressing N, fusarium nozzle selection, and early season weed control in this week’s edition. From two strategies for planting edible beans into dry ground, to the first of the hay… Read More
Over 100 farmers from more 30 Ontario counties participated in our ‘roll-call’ on Twitter this past weekend. We asked where they expected to be at with planting corn and soybeans by Sunday evening. Most regions have planted their intended corn acres except regions south of London and the Niagara/Haldimand clay, with some only starting to… Read More
With India closing its border to pulse imports late last year, China is seizing the opportunity to buy competitively-priced protein and ramping up its imports of peas from Canada. The value of pea exports from Canada to China was up 42 percent in January to March of 2018 versus the same period in 2017, according… Read More
Canadian ag retailers have a new tool to help their farmer customers adopt 4R nutrient stewardship practices. With the launch of Fertilizer Canada’s new 4R designation toolkit, the industry organization says it will be easier for retailers to support farmers as they work to enhance management practices with the principles of 4R nutrient stewardship – a globally recognized, Canadian-made… Read More
In an effort to explore additional areas of agriculture that RealAgriculture does not cover on a daily basis, RealAg Radio featured potato production in Canada in a discussion with Kevin MacIsaac, General Manager of the United Potato Growers of Canada. How would you describe the overall health of the potato industry? Overall MacIsaac described the… Read More
The boards of directors for Cereals Canada and the Canadian International Grains Institute (Cigi) have agreed to explore a possible “integration” of the two grain industry organizations. A working group, made up of directors from both boards, has been formed to examine how the two entities could work more closely together. The mandate of this… Read More
When should you consider switching corn and plant a shorter-season hybrid? That’s a question many growers in some southwestern regions of Ontario are wrestling with as the calendar pushes ever closer to June. Spring weather conditions in many areas of the province have been good and planting is proceeding at a strong pace. However, heavy… Read More
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
It’s an established fact that seeding depth and plant spacing are critical factors in maximizing yields and uniformity in some crops. That’s why corn and soybeans are planted with planters designed to singulate each seed and place it at a precise depth. Wheat isn’t generally seeded with a planter, but as part of this Wheat… Read More
Inocucor Corporation, a startup company that specializes in microbial products for crop and soil health, has announced it is changing its name to Concentric Ag Corporation. The company, which has facilities in Manitoba, Quebec and Colorado, says its new name means “having a common centre” and “symbolizes growth and vitality in nature like rings in a… Read More
The European General Court issued a verdict on Thursday upholding the European Commission’s decision in 2013 to restrict the use of neonicotinoid seed treatments (neonics). The ruling is seen as a win for the movement to restrict European farmers’ access to the chemicals used to prevent pest damage to crops. Neonic manufacturers Bayer and Syngenta,… Read More
Spring is off to a roaring start in some areas — for some it’s the roar of a hot, dry wind (hey, Prairies!) and for others it’s the roar of nearly seven inches of rain that fell in two events over a week in southern Ontario. This mid-May edition of Wheat Pete’s Word is a… Read More
By François Tardif Many master gardeners would tell you that to maximize your vegetable yields, rows need to be oriented in a north-south manner. This is supposed to maximize light interception by the crops, which in turn maximizes photosynthesis. In contrast, east-west rows have more shading and this negatively impacts yields. Is the same true… Read More