Pleasantly surprised describes many corn growers this fall, even as the harvest drags on into December. While there were areas that suffered from excess moisture and cool temps, many areas are finally tallying up the last of the corn yields and the numbers are, well, quite good. Ontario field editor, Bernard Tobin, joined Ken Currah,… Read More
If you haven’t yet registered for FarmTech, Rick Taillieu would like you to soon, because the event will likely sell out and you don’t want to miss this conference. Held at Edmonton’s Expo Centre and running from January 28 to 30, 2014, FarmTech features over 60 concurrent speakers, and you won’t want to miss the… Read More
Timing really is everything, especially in agriculture and especially when it comes to weather. Sunshine and rainfall amounts might pan out on paper but a late start to planting, 20 plus days of rain in October and extreme heat with no rain in August can really throw things for a loop. Enter a very frozen… Read More
Its time for episode two of the Ontario Agronomy Geeks. This weeks guests are St. Thomas farmer Peter Gredig and University of Guelph Professor and OMAFRA Weed Specialist Mike Cowbrough. The panel joins Shaun Haney to discuss corn harvest progress, corn hybrid selection, potential acre increase for IP soybeans in 2014, does lower prices mean… Read More
Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency released a notice of intent in September 2013 to change label requirements of neonictoinoid seed treatment products used on corn and soybean seed after it was determined that “…current agricultural practices related to the use of neonicotinoid treated corn and soybean seed are not sustainable.” The notice of intent… Read More
Public breeding (for plants, that is) is not something you’d imagine the public yelling into a telephone about, telling their elected officials support for public plant breeding must absolutely be part of the next federal or provincial budget, or else. But stranger things have happened. For example, who would have thought people would get so… Read More
Planting in to cool and especially cool and wet soils is not ideal for soybeans. But that description applies to most planting conditions in Ontario and perhaps most of Canada. Because of this reality, fungicide seed treatments are an invaluable tool in the establishment of healthy, vigorous, soybean stands. Albert Tenuta, provincial field crop pathologist… Read More
Selling grain can be as easy as a phone call, but that’s the exception, not the rule. What’s more, getting a deal done usually requires a bit of back and forth to get the terms that work for your farm. The easier it is for grain buyers and grain sellers to connect and negotiate, the… Read More
Smart technology “follows” us into our combines, sprayers and grain bins, yet when it’s time to treat seed, it’s still very much a guessing game. But there appears to be a pretty darn intellectual auger on the market. With a touch-screen input and pre-programmed recipes for Bayer CropScience seed treatment products (and the ability to… Read More
CWB has reached an agreement to purchase all of the issued and outstanding shares of Mission Terminal, Les Élévateurs des Trois-Rivières, and Services Maritimes Laviolette from Upper Lakes Group Inc., the company states in a press release. The purchase positions CWB as the largest east-coast shipper of producer cars from Western Canada. The press release… Read More
No, you didn’t read that title wrong — fertilizer impregnation is a real thing. In fact, it isn’t even a new concept and many will have heard of this before but likely in the context of added pesticide products to fertilizer prills. The type of impregnation I want to talk about today is impregnating fertilizer… Read More
What’s your process for tracking what you do in each field? Most farmers have some combination of pen and paper, app, Excel documents and more for recording the activities carried out in each field. But what process do you have in place for diagnostics? For tracking what you’ve noticed, the possible causes, the decided-upon cause… Read More
Well, if you’ve got mad skill on the paintball course and an intense interest in ecosystems/agriculture, you’ll be intrigued to know the two have collided. Developed by Dr. James Leary of the University of Hawaii, Herbicide Ballistic Technology (I know, just when you thought it couldn’t get better), or HBT, gives sharp-shooting scientists the ability… Read More
Hybrid selection is a critical piece of the corn crop management puzzle — one mistake could cost as much as 80 bushels per acre in yield. Really, you say? Well, that’s perhaps the most extreme case, but it’s a valid possibility if you take a look at the top and bottom varieties in the GoCorn.net… Read More
We all know that farming is a very rewarding career but it is has some very difficult moments. As we discussed in Episode 1 of the TechTour, there are many hours committed to rolling up and down the field in the sprayer. One of the goals of the TechTour is to try and save you… Read More