Category: Wheat

Wheat seed placed in a furrow across a field spells possibility to a farmer, but to diseases that lurk in the soil, wheat seed is food, not a potential crop. Using untreated wheat seed means that each seed could be vulnerable to seed- and/or soil-borne diseases, explains Shad Milligan, Seedcare technical lead for Syngenta Canada…. Read More

There’s plenty of excitement for both economic and environmental reasons about the potential for biological nitrogen fixation for corn and other crops that don’t fix their own nitrogen, but a soil scientist from North Dakota State University says farmers and agronomists should be asking several key questions before counting on added organisms to supply N… Read More

Grower groups and the federal government have partnered on providing funding for wheat research to the tune of over $20 million over five years. With over $11.2 million in funding coming from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) through the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership AgriScience program, a further $9.3 million will come from: Manitoba Crop Alliance… Read More

Oh my goodness, what a wild swing in temperatures! Ontario hit some record high daytime temperatures for February, only to have a huge cold front move in that had already socked in the Prairies. As much as we’d all like to think this is spring, it only feels that way. The calendar still says February,… Read More

When you think about managing crop residue breakdown, do you think about the carbon-to-nitrogen ratio of the residue? If not, it might be time to do so, as genetic advancements in corn, for example, has actually made it somewhat harder for stalks to breakdown. That’s just one discussion in this week’s episode of Wheat Pete’s… Read More

Wheat yield is made up of many yield components ranging from thousand kernel weight to head size and kernels per head. But when it comes to driving higher yields, all those components take a back seat to the number of heads per square metre. It’s the big data point emerging from three years of data… Read More

Leaf twisting, burning, cupping, or crinkling — those are just some of the signs that a crop may be suffering from herbicide injury. Why do herbicides cause crop injury? University of Guelph weed researcher Dr. Peter Sikkema says injury causes can be classified into seven basic categories. That list includes extreme weather, unique or variable… Read More

There’s never going to be a one-size-fits all recipe for top wheat yields — too much depends on fertility, soil conditions, and weather. That said, there are some practices that year in and year out are part of a successful stand. Peter “Wheat Pete” Johnson says that the Great Lakes YEN project has helped to… Read More

Winter is making itself known across all of Canada this week, after a polar vortex descended on Alberta, all the way to Ontario getting hit with snow, wind, and cold temps (for Ontario, mind you). That sparked some questions on fall-seeded crop survival, including canola, alfalfa, and wheat, which host Peter ‘Wheat Pete’ Johnson answers… 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