To some growers, it’s an old idea; to others, it’s completely new. The concept of peola — intercropping peas and canola — has been around in Western Canada for decades, but with new varieties and weed control options, the practice seems to be gaining momentum again. In 2009, the Westman Agricultural Diversification Organization found an attention-grabbing yield… Read More
Category: Video
The number of herbicide-resistant weed cases is growing while the list of modes of action available for controlling these weeds is not, so farmers in Western Canada have shifted back to soil-applied herbicides, including some old chemistries, like Edge and Avadex. “We’re going full-circle here. These are older chemistries, but they’re coming back in and growers… Read More
The media firestorm caused by Earls Kitchen + Bar’s pursuit of the “Certified Humane” standard has quickly become a cautionary tale for both the farm and food industry. It’s a situation a coalition of Ontario farm organizations are hoping to avoid by working with the food and beverage sector to help clarify and streamline sustainability initiatives. Earlier… Read More
The gene gun, the first of which literally used a .22-calibre bullet, was invented by plant geneticists working at Cornell University in the 1980s as a way of injecting DNA into plant cells. The technology made the process of introducing new genetic material to many major crops, including corn and wheat, much more efficient, helping to create plants with resistance… Read More
Bruce Vandenberg knows all about the challenges and opportunities of milking goats. He got into the business in 1989 and over the past 25 years has built Mariposa Dairy Ltd., the second-largest processor of milk goat cheese in Canada. Speaking at the 2016 Canadian Dairy XPO, Vandenberg explained that his home farm now milks about… Read More
Glyphosate-resistant kochia has started showing up in more of Western Canada, and as with other cases of resistance, it’s becoming evident you can’t rely on a single tool for too long. Minimizing resistant weed populations requires an integrated or diverse approach. The crop itself must help make survival difficult for potentially resistant weed seedlings, explains Rob… Read More
How many of the seeds put in the ground by your airseeder or drill will actually emerge and become viable plants? Seedling mortality can vary greatly, but needs to be considered when determining seeding rates, assessing emergence and when planning for next year. A 5 to 10 percent mortality rate is often assumed when calculating… Read More
Having your tractor hop up a hill is never a good feeling. Besides being downright uncomfortable, it’s a powerful reminder that the tractor isn’t operating to its full potential (think fuel consumption, tire wear and drawbar performance). But proper ballasting can be a big job, making it an easy job to overlook. That’s where John Deere’s new, aptly named, EZ… Read More
The Ontario Agricultural Hall of Fame (OAHF) has a new home at the Ontario AgriCentre in Guelph. Hall of Fame members and ag industry representatives gathered on Friday to officially open the new gallery, which features a unique combination of history and technology to accommodate OAHF’s 210 inductees. For the past 36 years, the Hall… Read More
As the US dairy industry struggles with low milk prices, a number of trends continue to drive a make over of the country’s dairy farm operations. Overall, the size of farm operations continues to grow rapidly, says Mark Stephenson, University of Wisconsin’s Director of Dairy Policy Analysis. Stephenson told farmers attending the Canadian Dairy XPO… Read More
For some growers, treating wheat seed is a no-brainer, while others still choose to forego a treatment and the input cost that comes with it. So how do you decide? With seeding ramping up for another spring, Pam de Rocquigny, cereal crop specialist with Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Development, joins us in the field… Read More
Dairy farmers are all too familiar with the external signs of mastitis – from swollen quarters to excessive heat and hardening of the udder wall. At the 2016 Canadian Dairy XPO, Alltech Canada’s Dr. Roger Scaletti performed a tissue analysis of an udder to give producers an inside look at where milk comes from and… Read More
After losing an Ontario Court of Appeal decision on the province’s new seed treatment regulations, what strategy should Grain Farmers of Ontario (GFO) now pursue on the neonic issue? We put the question to GFO chair Mark Brock. We’re also interested in your opinion. It appears the farm organization has three strategic options. Let us… Read More
Responding to rapidly climbing demand from consumers and food companies, a Saskatoon-based company is quadrupling its contracted acres of quinoa production this spring. Northern Quinoa owns the lone Canadian-developed variety of quinoa and is one of only a few buyers of the pseudocereal crop in the country. The company has been growing and producing a small… Read More
When farmers search for ways to better manage cover crops, seed treatments such as neonicotinoids don’t readily come to mind. But that could change if research results from University of Guelph weed scientist Dr. Clarence Swanton are proven in field tests. In this episode of Corn School, Real Agriculture resident agronomist Peter Johnson sits down with… Read More