Two weeks of dry weather conditions across Ontario has helped move a lot of manure over fields across the province. Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food & Rural Affairs manure management specialist Christine Brown is reporting that custom operators have been running hard and most farmers were finishing up applications for crop land late last week…. Read More
Category: Manure management
On an episode of Real Ag Radio Peter “Wheat Pete” Johnson answered a listener question about the best practices for spreading manure on farmland. Johnson emphasized the importance of considering factors such as soil type, weather conditions, and current soil nutrient levels before determining how often to spread manure. The first step, according to Johnson, is… Read More
Working together towards a common vision is the driving force behind 3Gen Organics, one of the country’s biggest and most progressive family-run organic farming operations. On this episode of Profitable Practices, we visit with Brett Israel, near Wallenstein, Ont, to learn how three generations of the family have worked together to carve out a market… Read More
Peter “Wheat Pete” Johnson is set to ruffle some feathers this week as he makes the bold claim that it’s been too warm. Too warm!? Spring seems to be taking its time arriving this year, but Johnson explains what he means and why it might change the scouting schedule. Also on this week’s Wheat Pete’s… Read More
There are two key messages from this episode of The Agronomists: avoiding compaction and minimizing topsoil movement is well worth the planning and effort, because the alternative results in significant yield loss and is expensive to fix. To dig in (!) to the topic, host Lyndsey Smith is joined by guests Dr. Jeff Schoenau, from… Read More
Keeping hooves drier, harder, and cleaner is better for cows, dairy farmers, and the environment. Animal comfort specialist Bioret Agri believes it’s checked all these boxes with its new Magellan self-draining rubber flooring, which is designed to improve drainage, provide greater traction for cows, and reduce ammonia production. Adam Steward, business development manager for Bioret… Read More
The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) will not be performing soil nitrate tests for public extension this growing season. Which begs the question: will it pay for farmers and agronomists to draw tests in corn fields anyway? The answer — if the field saw any manure or red clover the in… 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
Wheat is an emotional crop. It doesn’t cry or yell but it will tell you how it’s feeling, especially if it’s struggling in a field that’s compacted, has inadequate drainage, or is suffering from poor manure or nitrogen application. “Wheat shows everything,” says Russ Barker, Corteva/Pioneer Hi-Bred agronomist, who joins OMAFRA cereals specialist Joanna Follings and RealAgriculture’s… Read More
It would seem that there’s one thing Peter Johnson can count on from his loyal listeners: a stern finger wagging when he’s got something all wrong. Such is the case with last week’s episode of Wheat Pete’s Word, where Johnson had the audacity to say manure was anything but magical. Have no fear, dear listeners,… Read More
If you’re already shopping around for next year’s seed supply for, well, everything, you’re probably going to be glad you did. To help make the decision on what to buy, Peter “Wheat Pete” Johnson says the corn hybrid information for Ontario is complete and ready for your scrutiny, and on this week’s Wheat Pete’s Word,… Read More
The crops are flying. Not literally, but the winter wheat is growing fast! This week’s Wheat Pete’s Word has explanations of what growing degree day accumulation will do for winter wheat, plus the downsides of the warmer weather in Ontario. Also, our host Peter “Wheat Pete” Johnson explains what he means by “slow release rain”… Read More
You’ve maybe heard of, or like our host Shaun Haney have had the chance to visit an anaerobic biodigester facility, but generally the information out there is few and far between. Coming at the livestock and manure management from another angle, our guest for today’s RealAg LIVE! is Jennifer Green of the Canadian Biogas Association…. Read More
We know you’re just itching to get into the field, and there’s a light at the end of this tunnel! We’re starting to get more sunny days and that can provide 11 degrees of temperature difference, according to our curious host. In this episode of Wheat Pete’s Word, Peter Johnson covers manure questions of all… Read More
Manure and livestock go hand in hand. Manure can be considered a by-product or waste, or it can be an important soil nutrient source. Andrea Stroeve-Sawa of Shipwheel Cattle Feeders is a seasoned composter, following in the tradition of composting feedlot manure her dad started almost 40 years ago. Andrea’s dad was also talking about… Read More