Soybean aphid numbers are building quickly in several fields in Ontario, and farmers have already had to book an insecticide pass to get ahead of the pest. In this week’s Wheat Pete’s Word, host Peter Johnson says reports have come in from the Milverton area and Eastern Ontario with aphids at or above threshold. It… Read More
What’s the weirdest colour you’ve ever seen a crop turn? This week in Ontario, at least one farmer is reporting very dark straw where the wheat crop was touched by frost in late May. An agronomist also reports purple stems in another area. What the heck is happening here? Never fear, as Peter “Wheat Pete”… Read More
Normally a week or so behind the winter barley crop, Ontario farmers are nosing into the wheat harvest a little early as the two crops are ready at about the same time. From an aphid alert on soybeans, to sneaky root rots, and potash deficiency showing up in corn, Peter “Wheat Pete” Johnson has the… Read More
Wheat in Ontario is in grain fill, and that means scouting for cereal leaf beetle. There’s also been plenty of rain in certain parched parts of the west, but it’s too much and way too late to save the crop. In this week’s edition of Wheat Pete’s Word, host Peter Johnson discusses some insect alerts,… Read More
Surprise! Shaun Haney is hosting this episode after Lyndsey’s internet decided to give up the ghost. On this episode of The Agronomists, Haney is joined by Steph Berlett with Brussels Agromart, Ont., and Jennifer Otani with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada at Beaverlodge, Alta., to talk about current insect issues, integrated pest management, scouting tips, and… Read More
For this special Canada Day edition of Wheat Pete’s Word, host Peter Johnson has got answers to your timely agronomic questions. The good news is there are no alerts this week, but that doesn’t mean you can let the throttle off scouting — there are insect pests creeping in and populations can grow very quickly!… Read More
The corn is growing like a bad weed, while the earliest of the fall-seeded crops are starting to get harvested. Just in time, Ontario is getting some heat and humidity, and that means all sorts of questions for the host of Wheat Pete’s Word. In this week’s Word, Peter Johnson covers fusarium/DON development in the… Read More
It’s July and that means two things: sunburns and field tour season! Our apologies for this week’s Wheat Pete’s Word being posted a day late, but it was actually a field tour (and plot harvest) that pushed host Peter Johnson right to deadline. We promise it’s worth the wait, however, as this week’s episode is… Read More
That’s a question many growers ask when they see parts of their soybean fields prematurely turning yellow in August and early September. In this episode of Real Agriculture Soybean School, OMAFRA’s Albert Tenuta and University of Guelph researcher Dave Hooker team up to answer the question and provide management tips. When his phone rings, Tenuta… Read More
When soybean aphids start multiplying in soybean fields, the decision to spray is typically triggered by the number of aphids found on each plant. The threshold for growers in Western Canada is usually reached when there are an average of 250 aphids per plant on 80 percent of the plants. The population should still be… Read More
Wheat harvest is underway in southern parts of Ontario, with yields ranging anywhere from an ugly-and-diseased 40 bushels an acre to 110 bushels in areas south of London, as Real Agriculture agronomist Peter Johnson shares leading off his update this week. What’s there to be learned from all the fusarium in wheat this year? It’s that… Read More
Having trouble deciding whether or not to spray for soybean aphids? Well, you’re in luck: there’s an app for that! In this episode of Soybean School, Tracey Baute, emtomologist with Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, introduces The Aphid Advisor App, which uses pest and beneficial insect data collected by the user, in addition… Read More
Soybean aphids don’t always cause a problem thanks, in part, to effective control products. But aphid numbers are cyclical despite good control and additional control is sometimes needed. That said, the pest can be kept in check with high populations of beneficial insects present, making scouting and re-scouting a critical means of protecting the soybean… Read More
As producers get closer to planting their soybeans, now is the time to consider all of the potential issues the year may throw at you and how you can deal with them before you get the seed in the ground. If there is a history or a threat of insect pests or soil borne disease, a… Read More