If you remember farming in 1988, this year may seem a little similar, at least for Ontario. That year, the drought broke in mid-July with a torrential downpour — are we in for something like that soon? Well, we won’t know for sure for a few days yet, but this week’s Wheat Pete’s Word does… Read More
Category: Wheat Pete’s Word
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 longest day of the year has come and gone and we are heading into the thick of summer crop-growing weather. With the heat (and in some cases downpours!) come the agronomy questions and Peter “Wheat Pete” Johnson is ready to answer whatever it is you can throw at him. In this week’s Wheat Pete’s… Read More
Some years are disease years and some are insect years. 2020 is shaping up to be an insect year, which is perhaps not surprising given the dry bias to the weather. In this mid-June edition of Wheat Pete’s Word, host Peter Johnson answers so many of your agronomic questions, including what to do about armyworm… Read More
Mother Nature is perhaps not always that motherly, but every now and again she does throw us a bone. This last week in Ontario was pretty good on the average, with some timely rains in some areas and some first-cut haylage wrapping up. But the timely rain has also brought along some storms, and heat,… Read More
Weed control questions, millipede feeding, and a crusting quandary — it must be early June! This week’s Wheat Pete’s Word is a little longer than usual because there is just so much going on and so many great questions rolling in. Host Peter Johnson has got the answers this week to everything from tufted vetch… Read More
Someone has flipped the switch from our cold weather woes, because it’s now summer in Ontario – with all the challenges and joys that the hot weather brings. In this week’s Wheat Pete’s Word, host Peter Johnson flags a crop alert (it’s too early, but we’re starting there anyway), gives crop updates on corn and… Read More
Alfalfa is so cool, it can run ice in its “veins.” Or at least, that’s the best explanation we’ve got for the crop making it through extremely cold weather earlier this month. In this week’s Wheat Pete’s Word, host Peter Johnson discusses both alfalfa and wheat’s adaptability, swapping corn varieties based on the calendar, inoculating… Read More
The weather feels more like mid-April than mid-May, and many farmers in Ontario are worried about corn and soybean seed in the ground and wheat heads above ground. There are reasons to be concerned, as nighttime temperatures over the last week have dipped very low and sometimes for the entire night. In this week’s Wheat… Read More
After a decent start to the spring season, Ontario’s weather has done a bit of a 180 and turned cool and damp. What does it mean for planting and spraying? In this week’s episode of Wheat Pete’s Word, host Peter Johnson covers why tank contents might be more important than temperature when it comes to… Read More
This week’s Wheat Pete’s Word has got some good news, some good ideas, and finally a discussion on just how terrible timothy really is as a forage option. Host Peter Johnson answers questions on a crop’s first drink of water, how much starter fertilizer you can pack into strip-till strips, and reminds growers that armyworm… Read More
Western Canada is working on its tan and getting some crop in the ground, while Ontario gets snow squalls. But a few flurries won’t stop all fieldwork from happening, and this week’s Wheat Pete’s Word has a few updates and answers to the top agronomy questions. From a look at how far crop storage has… Read More
It’s time for Episode B of the mid-April Wheat Pete’s Word! (Check out Episode A here) On this episode, host Peter “Wheat Pete” Johnson focuses on soil nutrients, specifically phosphorus and potassium (potash, K). And hey, there’s even a great explanation of how to put more fertilizer down at seeding without endangering the seed —… Read More
Sometimes a small gesture can go a long way to improve your day. So, lucky Wheat Pete’s Word fans, host Peter Johnson has a special gift for you — not one, but TWO podcasts this week. There’s just that much to cover, friends. For this Part A of the April 15th edition, Johnson shares some… Read More
We’ve got our first ALERT of the season, and it’s a great one! Yup, that’s right, there’s rhubarb poking through the soil, and even some asparagus is up in Ontario. Our apologies to large parts of Western Canada that got a foot of snow this past week. The somewhat ahead-of-schedule warmth has the questions flooding… Read More