Tighter shank spacing is one new feature on a tillage tool about to roll out this fall from Horsch. The company will be launching a new tillage line called Omnis FT. The Omnis FT features four ranks of shanks spaced on 15-inch centres, with 1,800 pounds of trip force. Each shank is equipped with Horsch… Read More
Farmers looking to incorporate cover crops into rotation are often left with the issue of terminating the crop. Is spraying enough? If you need to work the ground, what’s the best option? To tackle that question, Ontario field editor Bern Tobin asks Pat Lynch, agronomist and Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show tillage demo host, about tillage… Read More
Ontario farmers have been strip tilling for almost two decades, but the soil conservation tillage method appears to be gathering momentum across the province. Ian McDonald, Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs crop innovation specialist, says part of the attraction of strip till is its ability to capture the benefits of both conventional… Read More
This year may not have been a wet one for much of western Canada, but those years sure happen. When they do, Degelman’s Scorpion Hitch is designed to get seed and fertilizer done in one pass in less than ideal conditions, says Derek Molnar. RealAgriculture’s Kara Oosterhuis caught up with Molnar at the Degelman booth… Read More
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