Effectively integrating a cereal rye cover crop into corn is not for the faint of heart. Cereal rye can deliver tremendous benefits for a corn production system but there are challenges. Many growers wrestle with how to get uniform establishment in the fall; determining the best nitrogen and tillage plans; and finding that sweet spot… Read More
Category: The Sharp Edge
A successful dairy farm requires incredible investment — from cows and quota to crops, to land base and labour, the list of key inputs is huge. One of the key pieces that drives a dairy operation forward is silage quality. On this episode of the The Sharp Edge, Maizex Seeds agronomist Greg Stewart visits custom… Read More
Each year, corn hybrid selection is a balancing of growing conditions, field selection, and in-field management that can bring up some tough questions to navigate when chasing big yields. On this episode of The Sharp Edge, Maizex agronomist Greg Stewart tackles these questions with with help from Illinois-based Crop-Tech Consulting agronomist Ken Ferrie. Together, they… Read More
There is no room for error when it comes to producing hybrid seed corn. It’s a complicated business, and one of the keys to success is effectively detasseling rows of female plants of one inbred line so it can be fertilized by the second male inbred line, creating a hybrid. On this episode of The… Read More
When should you apply nitrogen on a corn crop and how much? That question consumes countless hours every year for corn growers, researchers, and agronomists. Seven years ago, Rodney, Ont., grain farmer Mike Miller, like many growers, was also playing the guessing game. But that all changed when he bought a self-propelled sprayer and started… Read More
Transgenic traits that defend corn plants against against damaging corn rootwoom have been around since 2003. But in recent years, farmers have seen growing resistance to these traits and researchers and seed companies are working to preserve the effectiveness of the technology while also develop new ways to combat the yield-robbing pest. One of those… Read More
Throughout corn harvest, much attention is paid to test weight as the crop works through the combine, into the bin, and off to market. But does test weight really matter? On this episode of The Sharp Edge, Maizex Seeds agronomist Greg Stewart explains why he believes growers would be better rewarded if they focused on… Read More
Ontario corn growers could be sitting on record yields for 2021 if yield estimates are on the mark. The recent Great Ontario Yield Tour pegged yield at 191.5 bu/ac after a province-wide inspection of corn fields. On this episode of The Sharp Edge, Maizex Seeds agronomist Greg Stewart looks at some of the sharpest agronomic… Read More
Weed control in organic soybeans and edible beans can prove challenging for growers who only have inter-row cultivation and scuffling in their weed management toolbox. On this episode of The Sharp Edge, we learn how organic grower Phil Oegema and his family, who operate Oegema Grains Ltd. near St.Thomas, Ont., have put a charge into… Read More
Bigger corn planters with on-board fertilizer deliver efficiency and cover acres quickly. All that weight, however, can produce yield-robbing pinch rows and compaction. On this episode of The Sharp Edge, we visit Jeff Cook who farms with his family at their Mapleview Farms operation, just southwest of London, Ont. Over the years, the Cooks have… Read More
Some farmers practice strip till in their cornfields, some plant corn in twin rows, while others plant multiple hybrids. Then there’s Mike Strang — he does it all in the same field and even adds cover crops to the management mix. On this episode of The Sharp Edge, Strang, who farms with his family near… Read More
Farm management and cropping practices can be complimentary to a livestock operation. Making use of all the months of the year can be quite the challenge, but Chris McLaren, of Larenwood Farms near Drumbo, Ont., has managed to do just that by integrating a cereal rye into his rotation. In this episode of The Sharp… Read More
James Hammerton, who farms with his family at Sweaburg, Ont., is giving double crop soybeans a solid go, with the aid of a stripper header to harvest the preceding wheat. On this episode of the Sharp Edge, RealAgriculture’s Bernard Tobin is joined by Greg Stewart, agronomy lead with Maizex Seeds. Stewart interviews Hammerton about his… Read More
Sometimes, when you’re doing things a little differently, you just have to build what you need instead of buying it. Greg Vermeersch and his team at VanMeer Farms at Courtland, Ont., modified a planter frame to custom build a 32-row strip-till unit. It’s a fair bit of engineering, and on this episode of The Sharp… Read More
Does building your corn planting and side-dress fertilizer program around a fertilizer cart make sense? That’s what Blenheim, Ont., farmer Joe De Brouwer does and that’s why he’s on this episode of The Sharp Edge on RealAgriculture. De Brouwer, who farms with his father and two uncles, tells Maizex Seeds’ agronomist Greg Stewart that an… Read More