A few years ago, Bourgault Tillage Tools, known for their diverse range of “ground engaging tools,” introduced an implement that works above the soil. “In 2018, we introduced a 50-foot weed clipper machine, and this is a machine that enables any farmer – conventional or organic – to drive into seeded crops at any crop… Read More
Did you know tillage erosion is the most significant erosive effect that’s seen on the Canadian prairies? Marla Riekman, soil management specialist with Manitoba Agriculture, says that often the focus is around wind and water erosion when really, it should be tillage erosion. However, it’s not just how much you are tilling your land —… Read More
When walking into the Canadian Farm Progress Show from the north entrance, one couldn’t miss the display John Deere had this year. For the first time at a Canadian farm show, John Deere showed off its new 2680H high speed disc. Sam Paulson, tillage specialist with John Deere, was nearby to explain why this disc… Read More
Strip till corn is helping Mark Brock build a winning management system for his Staffa, Ont., farm. Brock started strip tilling back in 2015 with the objective of integrating manure from the farm’s chicken operation into a system that would help manage compaction, and further improve soil organic matter with the addition of cover crops…. Read More
Ontario’s corn crop — such that it is — is pretty much planted, as most growers are now turning their focus to soybeans. Across the province during the past month, corn was planted into a range of wet, miserable conditions. The question now is how will the seedlings handle the tough going and what can… Read More
Are you farming vertically? That’s a question Illinois-based agronomist Ken Ferrie believes every grower needs to ask when making soil and field management decisions. At the CropSmart 2019 conference held earlier this year at Kitchener, Ont., Ferrie, who operates Crop-Tech consulting, explained that vertical farming refers to the ability for water to move up and… Read More
What’s the most important agronomic resource Ontario farmers could hold in their possession? How about the new Soil Fertility Handbook? You’ll hear all about it on this episode of the RealAg Bookclub podcast as handbook editor, Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs soil fertility specialist Jake Munroe, tells us why there should be… Read More
Much has changed on the Ontario soil conservation front since 1987. No-till farming has been firmly entrenched, most farms in the province now proudly tout their own Environmental Farm Plan, and soil health is recognized as key to a $13 billion food economy that fuels 800,000 jobs. It’s a 30-year journey that Harold Rudy captures… Read More
Corn stalks have become a significant management challenge for many growers. Better corn hybrids, higher yields, bigger plants, and fewer corn borers to break down stalks mean more farmers are turning to tillage to tackle crop residue. At Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show (COFS), a host of tillage manufacturers and retailers took to a harvested corn… Read More
Adaptable is perhaps the best word to describe John Deere’s new variable-intensity tillage tool. Farmers hovered around the 2660VT at the Farm Progress Show in Boone, Iowa, this week as Jarred Karnei, Deere’s tactical marketing manager for tillage equipment, demonstrated many of the the tillage tool’s features. In the video below, Karnei explains that the key to the… Read More
You can’t always see it, but each implement that runs through soil moves it a certain amount. Soil moving from one area to another, such as from a hilltop to the bottom of slope, is called tillage erosion. You might be surprised to see just how far (and how much) soil moves, depending on implement… Read More
Farmers are always thinking of ways to be more efficient: why make two or three passes through the field if you only need one? Degelman developed its Pro-Till to work land that had to be brought into shape, but farmers started asking if they could do more with this piece of equipment, explains Laird McLeod,… Read More
Ever consider replacing your planter disc openers with high-pressured water jets? The concept is called aqua-till. The idea has been pioneered by the South Australian NoTill Farmers Association (SANTFA). Earlier this week, SANTFA research and development manager Greg Butler traveled north to Ontario to showcase the technology for farmers attending the annual FarmSmart Expo near… Read More
Strip tillage in corn is growing in popularity in Ontario, but we don’t often see the tillage strategy employed in soybeans. On this episode of RealAgriculture’s Soybean School, AGRIS Co-operative agronomist Dale Cowan takes us to a strip-tilled field, which features twin row, 7.5-inch soybeans planted on 30-inch centres. In the field, Cowan’s bother, Larry… Read More
What’s your strategy when scouting a newly emerged soybean field? When Agromart Group agronomist Steph Kowalski walks into a soybean field this time of year, the first thing she looks to assess is final emergence and population. “It’s important to know how well we got that seed into the ground,” Kowalski tells RealAgriculture’s Bernard Tobin… Read More