Welcome to another episode of The Agronomists! For this episode, host Lyndsey Smith is joined by Warren Ward with the Canola Council of Canada, and RealAgriculture resident agronomist, Peter “Wheat Pete” Johnson. The topic of discussion today is starter fertilizer — of course with some other colourful tidbits thrown in there as well. The story… Read More
Category: The Agronomists
On this episode of The Agronomists we’ve brought in two guests who know all there is to know about the pesky pests that seem to inevitably find their way into your crops. We are talking about the infamous wireworm, flea beetles that can wreak havoc on canola crops, and cutworms that, let’s face it, are… Read More
There are so many pearls of wisdom in this episode of The Agronomists, such as, sometimes old science is good science; compaction is all bad; and not all manure is created equal. But how should you pay for manure — by the pit or by the load? How much is it worth? Is fall-applied with… Read More
Biology is forever adapting — to tillage, to cropping systems, and to selection pressure of herbicide applications. The advent of herbicide resistance has created a huge challenge for farmers across North America. Some of the worst weeds include kochia, fleabane, wild oats, waterhemp, and Palmer amaranth. Managing these weeds and delaying more resistance requires a… Read More
Here’s to hoping everyone had a great Easter weekend! We are excited to be back with another episode of The Agronomists. We’re hitting the ground running with this week’s topic: nitrogen management. More specifically, this episode is focused on managing N losses and products that potentially help reduce some of those losses. This week’s panel… Read More
When it comes to insect pests, most of us feel quite strongly about them. Wireworms are no different; they are an insect we love to hate. To talk about all things wireworms, we go to our experts, and this time, we have three! Join in for the fun and informative session on all things wireworms… Read More
It’s too early to call time of death on any wheat crop just yet…mostly. The trouble is that wheat, like all crops, is rather valuable right now, and if there’s crop forwarded contracted, it’s important to make sure there’s enough to deliver. But how do you make the call on what’s enough of a crop… Read More
Soybeans are a handy crop in rotation, as it fixes its own nitrogen, through N-fixing nodules on its roots. But soybeans still need a full compliment of other macro and micronutrients to reach maximum yields. To discuss identifying, correcting, and avoiding micronutrient deficiencies, host Lyndsey Smith is joined by guests Aaron Stevanus of the Mosaic… Read More
Planning for great corn yields begins the year before, by assessing how well the planned plant population translated to actual cobs per acre. That’s key information that informs THIS year — how well did you do on the planting pass, setting up the corn crop for success? Is picket-fence the goal, or is it a… Read More
There’s a certain number of acres that switch from one crop to another every spring, but #plant22 could be unlike any other, given the global uncertainty, sky-high crop prices, input supply chain disruptions, and pricey fertilizer. A last minute cropping change requires a bit of homework, however. To tackle what’s at issue, we go to… Read More
It’s entirely possible that while herbicide supplies will be tight for #plant22, there will be enough to go around. That said, at least two popular herbicides — glyphosate and glufosinate — will be somewhat limited. What does that mean for herbicide plan B or C? Will tight supplies of some of the more popular actives… Read More
When it comes to applying nitrogen fertilizer, agronomists have to help determine the right rate, right placement, the right time, and the rate form of N to protect the environment and feed the crop. The backdrop to those decisions include the farm setup, soil test results, yield goals, and product availability. There’s also that key… Read More
Ruts are compaction we can see, but what about the yield-robbing compaction you don’t see? What can we do to prevent compaction, and how do we manage already-compacted ground? For this episode of The Agronomists, host Lyndsey Smith is joined by compaction action gurus Jodi Dejong-Hughes, extension specialist with the University of Minnesota, and Ian McDonald, crop… Read More
Host Lyndsey Smith and guests George Lazarovits of A&L Biologicals and Jon Treloar of Novozymes BioAg, discuss the evolution of biological products, what exists now, what’s working, what’s in the pipeline, any cautions around using biological products, and where they have made a significant difference in cropping systems. Catch a new episode of The Agronomists… Read More
Building organic matter is a complicated and sometimes slow process, but you can’t build soil organic matter without carbon and biological activity. There’s some research out there to suggest that adding commercial nitrogen fertilizer to cropping systems burns through organic matter — but field level research doesn’t show the same results. What’s happening? First time… Read More