Surrounding yourself with exceptional people and building a winning team. It’s a recipe for success that Saskatchewan-born Lorne Hepworth has followed through three successful careers and now an appointment as Member of the Order of Canada. This week, RealAgriculture’s Shaun Haney sat down with Hepworth to discuss his journey, which includes a career arc with… Read More
Category: Crop Production
The U.S. Department of Agriculture added to the bearish tone in grain markets with larger-than-expected yield, production and stocks estimates in a series of reports published on Friday. Both the headline corn and soybean yield numbers for 2023 were higher than all trade estimates prior to the report, with corn yield pegged at a record… Read More
Diversity pays dividends in crop production but researchers, agronomists and farmers really don’t have a good grasp of how and why different crops impact each others in the rotation. University of Guelph crop researcher Dr. Dave Hooker is never shy to champion more diverse rotations. Research from long-term trials at the University of Guelph’s Ridgetown… Read More
The battle for acres is set to play out in just over three months. Crop rotation plays a key part of decision making on final acres for any crop, but perhaps most of all for pulses, as aphanomyces and root rot risk factor prominently in pea and lentil decisions. But price factors too, and Jon… Read More
How about an 18-row corn head that folds for transport and also flexes to follow the contours of fields with eroded hills or terraces? That’s the big news from combine head manufacturer Geringhoff at Agritechnica, the agriculture innovation showcase in Hanover, Germany. In this report, Geringhoff product manager Hendrik Schneider tells RealAgriculture’s Shaun Haney that… Read More
The weakest prices in over three years, combined with prospects of another drought, are expected to put a dent in canola acres as cropping decisions for 2024 are finalized. Unfortunately for those on the selling side, grain and oilseed markets have been posting losses like the Ottawa Senators or Columbus Blue Jackets rather than Jonathon… Read More
The number of Ontario certified crop advisors (CCA) continues to swell as the provincial organization reports that its membership now boasts 669 agronomists who carry the designation. Ontario Certified Crop Advisor Association chair Aaron Breimer says one of the keys to the growth of CCA ranks is the collaborative efforts of all stakeholders — from… Read More
SaskCanola and SaskFlax are planning to officially amalgamate to form one organization as of August 1 of this year. After working together and seeking feedback on a potential merger over the past year, formal votes on combining the two oilseed crop commissions were held at their annual general meetings in Saskatoon this week, with delegates… Read More
Corn has some leaf lessons to teach us, if only we’ll listen. That’s just one of the take-home messages from last week’s Ontario Ag Conference, the SWAC stop, says Peter “Wheat Pete” Johnson in this week’s podcast. There’s also a discussion on soil health, managing cover crops, and nitrogen use efficiency in corn. Have a… Read More
The way pulse varieties are developed in Saskatchewan is evolving, with more announcements of pulse breeding agreements on the way in 2024, says Carl Potts, executive director of the Saskatchewan Pulse Growers (SPG). An agreement with Limagrain was announced in July of 2022, the first of its kind, and growers will likely see a new… Read More
After serving for four years as chair of Sask Wheat, Brett Halstead is stepping back from the role, following the Sask Wheat annual general meeting held January 9 in Saskatoon. Fillmore-area farmer Jake Leguee has been named chair and Jocelyn Velestuk, of Broadview, as vice-chair. To reflect on his time as chair, Halstead joined Shaun… Read More
Labour shortage is an issue for farming around the globe and an expanding list of agricultural equipment manufacturers are looking to autonomous robots to provide a solution for their customers. At Agritechnica in Hanover, Germany, Kuhn rolled out KARL — an autonomous 175 hp robot prototype capable of performing field work in broad acre production…. Read More
ADAMA Canada has launched Maxentis fungicide for use on lentils, canola, soybeans and peas. Maxentis is a dual active ingredient product, featuring Asorbital 2 formulation technology. It is the first fungicide in Canada to combine prothioconazole and azoxystrobin into one product. Asorbital 2 allows for systemic and trans-laminar movement to move the fungicide throughout the… Read More
Growers and agronomists typically focus on the ear leaf at flowering when tissue testing corn to determine nutrient needs. But is that still the best choice for determining the optimal nutrient prescription for the crop as it moves into the reproductive stages? Purdue University professor emeritus Dr. Tony Vyn believes the evolution of modern hybrids… Read More
Of over 500 fields sampled in 2023, just one new field was added to the list of fields where clubroot DNA was detected. Clubroot is a serious, soil-borne disease of canola. By proactively monitoring clubroot in Saskatchewan, the Government of Saskatchewan says it is working with producers and other industry partners to minimize its impact…. Read More