There’s no data better suited to a farm than data derived FROM that farm. Designing and executing an on-farm field trial can be incredibly valuable for informing changes in production practices, but it’s key that the trial be designed to deliver solid data. To tackle what it takes to get the most out of on-farm… Read More
Category: The Agronomists
Soybean cyst nematode is a tiny but very destructive pest of soybean. It’s so damaging, that its presence can cause up to 25 per cent yield loss before symptoms are visible. Once SCN is in a field, it won’t ever go away — for Manitoba and points west, there’s still a chance to keep this… Read More
Wheat is a crop that sets yield potential very early in the season, so it’s imperative that the crop get off to the best start possible. Once plant stands and tillers are off to the races, splitting nitrogen can manage risk and help reach full yield potential. What’s more, late N can also bump protein… Read More
When it comes to phosphorus, having early availability close to the seed is of utmost importance to support early seedling development. Too much phosphorus too close can also cause seedling toxicity and death. What’s the right amount for starter fertilizer? There’s no one right answer, but there are several considerations for phosphorus management at seeding,… Read More
Nitrogen fertilizer can be lost through volatilization, leaching, or denitrification depending on conditions. Farmers can adapt application practices and timing to minimize loss, and they can choose to have nitrogen fertilizer treated with an enhanced efficiency product. For a discussion on losses, loss management, and what product to use and when, this episode of The… Read More
Clubroot is a persistent, destructive, soil-borne disease of canola that lurks in soil waiting to be carried by equipment, boots, wheels, or even wind to a new field. First found in an Alberta canola field over 20 years ago, clubroot is now found in each of the Prairie Provinces and some of the northern American… Read More
There are aspects of soil that are unchangeable — the amount of sand, silt, and clay, for example. But many other measures of soil can be nudged, either to the good or bad, when it comes to soil productivity and health. Organic matter, porosity, and bulk density are all changeable, but how do they impact… Read More
Soybean prices aren’t the shiny prize they were a year or so ago, and that has plenty of farmers sharpening the pencil on cropping plans. If input dollars are scarce (and they always are), where do you spend and where to do you save? For that conversation, when it comes to the most important pass,… Read More
Orange wheat blossom midge — or simply, the wheat midge — devastated spring wheat yields in the ’90s. Since then, wheat breeders have been working hard to build protection into wheat varieties. To help with tips to scout for the pest, why spraying is a limited option, how Field Heroes help, and what’s new in… Read More
For years, even decades, one crop’s boost in productivity because of following a different crop was put down as the “rotation effect.” As we begin to unravel what the rotation effect actually is, it’s clear that rooting depth and type, root exudates, and microbial population shifts all play a role in contributing to the bigger… Read More
Biological products, such as inoculants for pulses and soybeans, have been around a very long time, but the ever-expanding world of biological products now means that growers have options for hundreds of products that are supposed to do everything from stimulating root growth, to helping plants recover from hail, to fixing nitrogen. To help evaluate… Read More
Cover crops are not magic. It’s important to first understand the goal of using a cover crop and then measuring up each species and season to see if it’s a match. Farmers from east to west are using cover crops to accomplish several things: reducing erosion, cycling nutrients, fixing nitrogen, and fighting weeds, but that… Read More
Canola is an elastic, amazingly resilient plant, but it starts as a very tiny seed and emerges under threat of certain death by very hungry flea beetles. Setting up this crop for great yield is the typical combination of establishment, nutrition, and crop protection, but in this episode of The Agronomists, we dig in to… Read More
What drives maximum corn yield? We kick off a new season of The Agronomists talking about the king of them all — corn. To tackle the topics of hybrid selection, the planting pass, disease considerations, and fertility, host Lyndsey Smith is joined by Paul Sullivan of Sullivan Agro, Mark Foster of Jockbrae Farms, and Nicole… Read More
It’s time to wrap up this season of The Agronomists, tackling the top agronomy lessons of the year. From extreme dryness in parts of Alberta and Saskatchewan, to a mixed season in Manitoba, and a dry-to-very-wet season in Ontario, we’ve got three agronomists to unpack the worst and the wins of 2023. For this episode… Read More