Soil acidity is an issue that’s gaining attention in the Northern Plains, especially in areas where no-till practices have been paired with high surface-applied nitrogen rates. “They’re seeing this advancing a lot faster in parts of North Dakota and Montana, under traditional zero till conditions where they broadcast urea fertilizer. They find they’re acidifying the… Read More

Tar spot has been spreading across North American corn growing regions ever since the leaf disease was first detected in 2015. Characterized by tar-like speckling on the upper surface of corn leaves, the fungal pathogen can deliver yield hits ranging from 20 to 60 bushels per acre (in highly infected fields). On this episode of… Read More

Are drop hoses that travel through the canopy the best way to apply in-crop fungicides? That’s a question Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) application technology specialist Jason Deveau has worked on for the past four years. It all started in 2019 when Deveau joined forces with OMAFRA plant pathologist Albert Tenuta… Read More

Corn yields in Ontario have been increasing 2 bu/ac, or one per cent per, year over the past 40 years. Where is that yield increase coming from? University of Guelph associate professor David Hooker says genetics (65 per cent) and agronomy (35 per cent) are the key contributors to bigger corn crops. Corn breeders can… Read More

The Christmas holidays are here! What better way to spend the time than catching some of the 30 Corn School episodes RealAgriculture published in 2022? We kicked off the season in January with Purdue University agronomy professor Dr. Tony Vyn who tackled the question: where does yield come from? Vyn notes that hybrid research over… Read More

Fungicides are a key tool in the tar spot management toolbox. But what’s the best time for growers to apply a fungicide to get optimal control of the disease and the best return on their crop protection investment? On this episode of the RealAgriculture Corn School we catch up with Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food… Read More

How does adding 100 crop heat units to the maturity of your corn hybrids impact the yield and profitability of the crop? Agronomist Peter Johnson tackles that question on this episode of the RealAgriculture Corn School with help from University of Guelph associate professor David Hooker. Earlier this year, Hooker took a deep dive into… Read More

Why is there an irrigated corn crop growing in the middle of the University of Guelph’s Ridgetown campus? On this episode of the RealAgriculture Corn School, host Bernard Tobin takes a trip into the research maze to get a look at what happens in this corn misting nursery. Tobin first encounters University of Guelph associate… Read More

From moisture to nutrients, plant roots play a critical role in feeding corn throughout the growing season. On this episode of the RealAgriculture Corn School, Sullivan Agro agronomist Paul Sullivan looks at some of the problems growing plants can run into as they push down into the soil looking to feed the plant, fuel cob… Read More

It appears in 2022 that Ontario growers have little to worry about when it comes to corn ear moulds such as gibberella contributing to elevated levels of mycotoxins in the corn crop. In late October, the annual Ontario corn ear mould and deoxynivalenol (DON) mycotoxin survey found 98 percent of samples tested low — less… Read More

Soil, water and topography maps — more commonly know as SWAT Maps — are becoming a familiar management tool for corn producers. These high-resolution soil foundation maps are used to execute variable rate fertilizer, seed, soil amendment and pesticide applications. On this episode of the RealAgriculture Corn School, host Bernard Tobin catches up with Sullivan… Read More

Tar spot was found in many regions of Ontario again in 2022 but dry weather conditions throughout the growing season reduced the leaf disease’s impact on the corn crop. On this episode of the RealAgriculture Corn School, we pay a return visit to the provincial tar spot nursery at Rodney, Ont, where Ontario Ministry of… Read More

High residue, continuous corn, lack of nitrogen, drought — they’re all growing conditions that can make life stressful for corn plants. On this episode of the RealAgriculture Corn School, PRIDE Seeds agronomist Matt Chapple shares how seed companies stress test hybrids to ensure only the best, most resilient hybrids make it to market. He also… Read More

It pays to manage corn stalks. That message was heard loud and clear when agronomists Pat Lynch and Jonathan Zettler asked farmers why they till soil following a corn crop. The pair publish The Cropwalker — a weekly agronomy newsletter, and heard from 372 respondents in a Twitter poll. The top reason for tillage, cited… Read More

Information, knowledge, and data can be paramount when maximizing yield potential, and when talking about utilizing fertilizer to its highest potential, accurately measuring nitrogen loss can translate to net dollars at the end of the year. On this Corn School episode, we talk about how measuring nitrogen volatilization is the first step in determining how… Read More

 

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