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
Category: Special Crops
It’s dry, dry, dry in some areas of Ontario, but some relief could show up as many forecasts are calling for rain. Just how dry is it? As Peter Johnson, host of Wheat Pete’s Word, shares in this week’s edition, dry beans have failed to emerge and relay crop soybeans are wilting. The lack of… 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
Greenhouse vegetable grower Jan VanderHout will serve another one-year term as chair of the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ Association (OFVGA). He first assumed the role in 2017 and was re-elected at the OFVGA annual general meeting earlier this week. Grape grower Bill George was re-elected as vice chair. “It will be a busy year… Read More
Pawpaw, Haskap grapes, quinoa, edamame, tiger nut and hops. Do you grow any of these specialty crops on your farm? Maybe not, but more and more Ontario farmers are taking a serious look. OMAFRA new crop development specialist Evan Elford says working with these crops presents both opportunities and challenges. At last week’s Ontario Certified… Read More
After a week away, Peter Johnson is back for this edition of Wheat Pete’s Word. Maybe it’s the now-on-sale chocolate talking, but this week’s edition is just a little wild, tackling everything from crazy strips, to peduncles, to robot sprayers, to shedding buckwheat, and much more. Learn why you’ve just got to stop seeding wheat… Read More
Will bare fields and warm weather cause wheat to break dormancy? And if so, could we be looking at a wheat price rally for 2017? That’s where we start with Wheat Pete’s Word, and from there Peter Johnson takes us on a wild agronomy ride that covers strip-tilling dry beans into hay ground, what to… Read More
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has approved camelina meal as an Omega-9-boosting feed ingredient for laying hens. “This is another major step for camelina production in Canada,” said Jack Grushcow, founder and CEO of camelina developer Smart Earth Seeds, in a news release on Thursday. “This latest approval makes the crop production economics for camelina… Read More
It’s late September, the days are warm, and the combines are starting to roll into the edible beans and soybeans. Corn silage harvest has also started and that means we kick off this week’s Wheat Pete’s Word with a reminder and a plead — stay safe and use those lights! From there, we head into… Read More
Last January, camelina, a drought-tolerant oilseed high in protein and omega-3 fatty acids, was approved as a feed ingredient for broiler chickens. Now, work is underway to see the approval for inclusion in laying hen rations and dairy animal diets. Camelina Approved for Broiler Chicken Feed “Can you imagine a day when all our eggs… Read More
Sugar beet harvest has traditionally required a high number of workers and machines, but that’s changing with innovation in machinery, including the design of self-propelled sugar beet harvesters. Grimme’s special edition Blackhawk Rexor beast was on display at Agritechnica — the world’s largest ag trade show in Germany earlier this month. Don’t Miss TechTour LIVE –… Read More
It’s taken 20 episodes, but Peter Johnson, a.k.a. @WheatPete, finally gets to dedicate an entire version of the Word to his favourite crop — wheat. But hold on there, Johnson knows he can’t ONLY talk about wheat, and so the format of this week’s Word is somewhat reversed, where Johnson answers questions first, then delves… Read More
May 4, 2015 — RealAgriculture, Canada’s leading online farm news site, is launching an intoxicating offer for its community — The RealAgriculture wine club. RealAgriculture community members who join the wine club will each month receive four exclusive and small production red and white wines, with rose and sparkling wines selected seasonally. Each month the… Read More
Tapping into a new food or food ingredient market takes years of research, market development and buy-in of an entire value chain. It helps, of course, if there’s a ready market for the product, and you’ve got land that needs a new cropping option. That’s the current situation with hazelnuts in Ontario — work into… Read More
There could soon be new demand for the oilseed crop camelina as a feed ingredient for poultry. Camelina seed company Smart Earth Seeds is welcoming the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s approval of feeding cold-pressed non-solvent extracted camelina meal to broiler chickens at up to 12 percent inclusion. “This is a major step forward for camelina in Canada,” said Jack… Read More