What do you get when you connect two ‘city kid’ filmmakers, a world-class chef, and nine farmers and their families? You get Before The Plate, a genuine behind-the-kitchen-door, on-the-farm look at how food is produced in Canada, and the passion and commitment chefs and farmers apply to their craft. The driving force behind the film… Read more »
Category: Wheat
Wheat School: Waxy wheat shines in droughty climes
Do wheat varieties with higher leaf wax levels perform better in dry, stressful growing conditions? That’s a question RealAgriculture agronomist Peter Johnson and C & M Seeds general manager Ellen Sparry tackle on this episode of the Wheat School as they tour C & M’s research site at the company’s Harriston, ON, location. Sparry notes that… Read more »
Wheat School: How does Canadian wheat production compare globally?
Canadian wheat has long been known for its high quality — as a premium wheat for blending into lower quality grain to meet minimum requirements for baking. But how does Canadian wheat stack up when it comes to cost of production, yield, and farmgate prices? Where does Canadian production fit in the context of increasing… Read more »
Wheat Pete’s Word, July 18: Fungicide in a dry year, the price of straw, and protecting fresh silk
A week of spotty rain has some farmers singing and others moaning, as this challenging growing season marches into mid-summer. The questions for host Peter Johnson continue to roll in, and this week’s episode of Wheat Pete’s Word covers it all from plot results, to fungicide questions, to a correction, and on to grain storage… Read more »
Drones could make crop research 10 times more efficient
Every farmer doesn’t need to own and operate a drone for UAV technology to have a positive impact on their farm. That’s the message Scott Ditschun shares with farmers when he discusses how Bayer CropScience is employing drones in its agronomic and product research. He says UAV technology could effectively increase Bayer’s field research efficiency by… Read more »
Wheat Pete’s Word, July 11: Peduncles, double crops, and chewing vs. sucking insects
It’s July and that means two things: sunburns and field tour season! Our apologies for this week’s Wheat Pete’s Word being posted a day late, but it was actually a field tour (and plot harvest) that pushed host Peter Johnson right to deadline. We promise it’s worth the wait, however, as this week’s episode is… Read more »
Wheat School: CRISPR technology could be a boon for wheat breeding
Wheat breeding is a poor cousin when you compare it to the investment and resources corn and soybean plant breeders have at their disposal to develop new and improved plant genetics. The arrival of CRISPR technology, however, is giving wheat breeders hope that they may finally get a leg up on their big-crop cousins. At… Read more »
Wheat School: What we’ve learned so far in year one with Manipulator
2018 marks the first growing season where farmers across Canada can apply the plant growth regulator chlormequat chloride — a.k.a. “Manipulator” — to wheat without having to worry about problems marketing the wheat after harvest. The U.S. established a maximum residue limit (MRL) for chlormequat chloride in cereal crop imports this spring, clearing the way… Read more »
Wheat School: ‘Real’ Wheat Farmers — Parkland Farms
Average yields of 110 to 115 bushels per acre on soil that is often more than 60 percent clay? That’s impressive. And that’s why Parkland Farms is featured on our latest episode of ‘Real’ Wheat Farmers. In this video, RealAgriculture agronomist Peter Johnson peppers Parkland Farms agronomist Clark Aitken with questions on how the Lambton… Read more »
Wheat Pete’s Word, July 4: Most amazing corn crop, an aphid alert, and white mould musts
A scratchy-voiced Peter Johnson needs you to get out there and scout, scout, scout for aphids on soybean. While you’re out in the fields, you also need to check for all sorts of other insects because hot, dry weather is helping creepy-crawlies multiply. It’s also time to get that first white mould suppression pass on,… Read more »
Will relay intercropping work in Ontario?
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 »
Canadian wheat grading criticized by Trump, but can be easily resolved
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 School: Hot weather narrows the FHB treatment window
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 »
Wheat School: Tips for fungicide decisions in a dry year
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 »
Wheat Pete’s Word, June 20: Wild weather, yellow corn causes, and seed size surprises
This week’s episode of Wheat Pete’s Word is full of alliterations and maybe, just maybe, a little serving of humble pie. We start this week talking wild weather, wheat woes and wonder, then move on to skimpy seeds and yellow ycorn (Editor’s note: Sorry, I tried). Host Peter Johnson tackles what to do or not… Read more »