A timely rain after seeding can erase plenty of sins, but a pounding rain can do the opposite, and lead to punishment for small canola seedlings that have to break through crusted soil. Crusting has hampered emergence and forced some reseeding in canola fields in parts of Western Canada again this year. Of course, there’s… Read More
When planting soybeans after corn does the oilseed benefit from pre-plant tillage? A little spring tillage certainly enhances yield, says Horst Bohner, soybean specialist for the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA). Based on accumulated OMAFRA trial data, growers can expect plant stands to be 10 per cent higher and fields to… Read More
Are Ontario farmers doing a better job of getting phosphorus to stay put on their farms? Over the past decade, farmers, agronomists, researchers and governments have ramped up efforts to reduce the amount of phosphorus leaving farm fields and creating environmental challenges in areas such as the Lake Erie and Sainte-Claire watersheds. University of Waterloo… Read More
Cover crops, tillage and herbicides —they’re all tools growers can use to build an effective, integrated approach to controlling troublesome Canada fleabane. On this episode of RealAgriculture’s Soybean School, Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs weed specialist Mike Cowbrough looks at the role tillage can play in controlling the weed. He notes mounting… Read More
Two years after it launched its Mach Till high-speed disc, Kinze returned to the National Farm Machinery Show (NFMS) last month with slimmer, second-generation versions of the machine. Best described as “hybrid horizontal tillage,” Kinze is introducing three new configurations of the high-speed disc that features a narrow transport design to allow farmers to transport… Read More
Farmers need to treat soil as more than a chemistry set — they need to think about biology and ecology. That’s the message Kansas farmer Michael Thompson shared with those attending the Innovative Farmers Association of Ontario (IFAO) annual conference last week in London, Ont. Thompson does admit, however, that farmers have been successful in… Read More
While eastern Ontario is expected up to 50 cm of snow over the next few days, other parts of the province are starting to tap maple trees and get the frost-seeding equipment ready. It may be the last week of February, but there’s some serious spring fever happening all over the country! In the west,… Read More
Like most Ontario farmers, 2019 was a trying year from Mike Belan. The Lambton county farmer sat tight last spring as his Brookston clay loam soil absorbed heavy rain, but Belan was confident his farm could withstand Mother Nature’s moisture assault. He’s learned to be patient thanks to a 30-year investment in building healthy, resilient… Read More
Add wheat to your crop rotation and it will increase corn and soybean yields, put more money in your pocket, improve soil health, and make your soil more resilient. That’s a big, bold statement but University of Guelph-Ridgetown professor Dave Hooker can prove it. All the data comes from a 25 year long-term tillage and… Read More
Launched at Crop Production show at Saskatoon, Sask., the latest addition in the Väderstad tillage series made an appearance — the inline sideband knife. The knife is an insertable tip that creates a side-band effect. It can be used on any of the company’s drills worldwide, but is particularly useful for western Canadian conditions. “We’ve… Read More
Five years ago, Carl Brubacher decided it was time to change how he manages soil on his Arthur, Ont., hog and grain farm. With highly variable soil ranging from sand to heavy clay, he was determined to improve soil health and make the farm more sustainable. In this premiere episode of RealAgriculture’s Soil School, sponsored… Read More
Is there a marriage to be made between precision agriculture and strip tillage in corn? That’s a question Maizex Seeds’ agronomist Greg Stewart and Real Agriculture’s Bernard Tobin tackle on the first episode of The Sharp Edge, a new video series debuting on RealAg, brought to you by Maizex Seeds. In the months ahead our… Read More
The Storm series from Mandako, built on the success of the Twister series, is looking to fill a demand for vertical tillage with disc options. “We have a two-in-one machine here. This can fit both applications, and with the framework and all the rest of it, no problem,” says Murray Hunter, Western Canada sales manager… Read More
Canadian manufacturers are well known throughout Canada for their innovative, well-built products. After attending Agritechnica, it is very clear that the same is true around the world. Many Canadian companies come to Agritechnica, held every two years, to expose the world to innovative Canadian advancements. Even though Agritechnica is in Germany, it is not just… Read More
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