As the summer days stretch and the forest fire smoke settles in over huge areas of the country, farmers are wrapping up wheat harvest in the east and starting harvest in earnest in the west. Late-season agronomy typically centres on harvest management, but diseases and insects are still lurking, especially in the corn crop. In… Read more »
Category: Wheat Pete’s Word
Wheat Pete’s Word, Aug 8: An early end to flowering, water volumes, and weed control fails
This season’s hot weather and wild rain (and lack of it) is having a surprising impact on the soybean crop, says Wheat Pete’s Word host Peter Johnson. That’s where we start with this week’s episode. From there, Wheat Pete answers your questions on seeding rate, good coverage for insecticide applications, cover crop establishment, and so… Read more »
Wheat Pete’s Word, Aug 1: Hail injury, corn salvage, cover crop seeding, and organic matter maps
Harvest is somewhat paused with all the rain and storms rolling through Ontario. Once wheat is ready, it’s time to roll, roll, roll, but what happens when you’re held up by weather? Peter ‘Wheat Pete’ Johnson tackles that, plus top tips on salvaging drought-stressed corn, and choosing cover crops, in this week’s Wheat Pete’s Word…. Read more »
Wheat Pete’s Word, July 25: Glorious rain, worms, short corn, and grain sales
Quite literally, when it rains it pours, it seems, as much of Ontario got some to too much rain over the weekend and into this week. Is it too late for this year’s thirsty crop? Peter Johnson, host of Wheat Pete’s Word, says possibly not, as this rain comes at a critical stage for the… Read more »
Wheat Pete’s Word, July 18: Fungicide in a dry year, the price of straw, and protecting fresh silk
A week of spotty rain has some farmers singing and others moaning, as this challenging growing season marches into mid-summer. The questions for host Peter Johnson continue to roll in, and this week’s episode of Wheat Pete’s Word covers it all from plot results, to fungicide questions, to a correction, and on to grain storage… Read more »
Wheat Pete’s Word, July 11: Peduncles, double crops, and chewing vs. sucking insects
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 »
Wheat Pete’s Word, July 4: Most amazing corn crop, an aphid alert, and white mould musts
A scratchy-voiced Peter Johnson needs you to get out there and scout, scout, scout for aphids on soybean. While you’re out in the fields, you also need to check for all sorts of other insects because hot, dry weather is helping creepy-crawlies multiply. It’s also time to get that first white mould suppression pass on,… Read more »
Wheat Pete’s Word, June 27: Leaf burn, lodged wheat, and thrips in corn
Ontario has turned into the land of extremes, where wet areas are suffering through excessive rainfall when it happens, while other areas wither in the dry and the heat. There is one near-perfect area — the Ottawa Valley — and host Peter Johnson figures it’s so perfect out that way, he doesn’t have to answer… Read more »
Wheat Pete’s Word, June 20: Wild weather, yellow corn causes, and seed size surprises
This week’s episode of Wheat Pete’s Word is full of alliterations and maybe, just maybe, a little serving of humble pie. We start this week talking wild weather, wheat woes and wonder, then move on to skimpy seeds and yellow ycorn (Editor’s note: Sorry, I tried). Host Peter Johnson tackles what to do or not… Read more »
Wheat Pete’s Word, June 13: Weevil whacking, the nitrate report, and dry bean replants
It’s dry, dry, dry in some areas of Ontario, but some relief could show up as many forecasts are calling for rain. Just how dry is it? As Peter Johnson, host of Wheat Pete’s Word, shares in this week’s edition, dry beans have failed to emerge and relay crop soybeans are wilting. The lack of… Read more »
Wheat Pete’s Word, June 6: Weed height and corn yield loss, weevils, and a stripe rust alert
If everything goes south from here on in, we can blame Peter Johnson, host of the weekly Wheat Pete’s Word, as he proclaims this week that things are “looking pretty good out there.” In this week’s edition, Johnson tackles current crop conditions, the fallout from super fast crop advancement, weed control in 6-leaf corn (and… Read more »
Wheat Pete’s Word, May 30: Skipping through growth stages, nozzle angles, and correcting deficiencies
As the calendar inches ever closer to June, host of Wheat Pete’s Word and resident agronomist, Peter Johnson, is tackling your top agronomy questions for side-dressing N, fusarium nozzle selection, and early season weed control in this week’s edition. From two strategies for planting edible beans into dry ground, to the first of the hay… Read more »
Wheat Pete’s Word, May 23: Leaf burn, capillary action, and killing sow thistle
For all the talk of a late, late spring, we sure have caught up in a hurry. While there are areas hurting for moisture nearly across Canada, some regions have had near-ideal planting conditions and even a timely rain or two, post-seeding. What’s got croppers curious this week? Peter Johnson, host of Wheat Pete’s Word,… Read more »
Wheat Pete’s Word, May 15: Magic numbers for corn, sinking forage quality, and poop-covered beetles
Spring is off to a roaring start in some areas — for some it’s the roar of a hot, dry wind (hey, Prairies!) and for others it’s the roar of nearly seven inches of rain that fell in two events over a week in southern Ontario. This mid-May edition of Wheat Pete’s Word is a… Read more »
Wheat Pete’s Word, May 9: Thin wheat, cereal leaf beetles, and the weed that keeps resisting
In today’s episode of Wheat Pete’s Word, resident agronomist and host Peter Johnson talks crop progress (with some surprising comparisons to last year); thin wheat; no-no’s in herbicide application; water jet technology; and, a scary new finding of herbicide resistance in the province. Find a summary of all of today’s show topics and times below… Read more »