Multicoloured wheat? At this stage in late May, winter wheat should be dark green and uniform, going flat out as it comes into head. However, many wheat fields across Ontario are showing every shade of green imaginable, and too much of it isn’t dark green and photosynthesizing at maximum speed. We put the nitrogen and… Read More
Category: Weather
A Tuesday morning poll of Ontario agronomists, extension specialists, and crop retail representatives based in the southwestern region of the province indicates about two-thirds of the provincial soybean crop has been planted as of May 23. “That’s pretty awesome,” says Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) soybean specialist Horst Bohner, adding that… Read More
It is the year of the dandelion. The hardy perennial pests are bigger and more plentiful in fields across Ontario than farmers can ever remember. University of Guelph weed scientist Peter Sikkema has been fielding many questions about why the weed is so abundant this spring and how best to control it. When it comes… Read More
Two weeks of dry weather conditions across Ontario has helped move a lot of manure over fields across the province. Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food & Rural Affairs manure management specialist Christine Brown is reporting that custom operators have been running hard and most farmers were finishing up applications for crop land late last week…. Read More
Across Ontario, a stretch of dry weather has helped pushed corn planting past 80 per cent complete in many areas. “Things are rolling right along,” reports RealAgriculture agronomist Peter Johnson. In his area of southwestern Ontario, “corn is wrapping up and growers are rolling hard into soybeans,” he told a Tuesday morning virtual agribusiness breakfast… Read More
Shifting weather patterns, like this one from La Niña to El Niño, can have profoundly different impacts depending on the region. Each weather pattern can be generalized — as in, wetter for some regions, drier for others — but the shift this year has caused some wild weather swings. Scott Kehler, president and chief scientist… Read More
Saskatchewan soybean production has been a roller coaster ride over the past decade. In 2013, growers planted 170,000 acres of the oilseed. Growing enthusiasm for the crop pushed acres higher to 850,000 in 2017, but since that time weather challenges and poor yields have caused acres to plunge — just over 45,000 acres were planted… Read More
Mother Nature rarely cooperates with everyone perfectly, and some areas seem to get more fair treatment than others. While Jocelyn Wasko, based in southwestern Saskatchewan, is always happy for some moisture, she says the drawn-out winter season happening now is making calving on her operation a bit tricky, to say the least. The problem is… Read More
There’s plenty of uncertainty in 2023 grain markets. The potential for big corn and soybean acres combined with weak economic performance could push prices lower as the year unfolds. But there’s still plenty of profit opportunity, says AgMarket.Net co-founder Jim McCormick. He shared his take on the markets while participating in a market panel at… Read More
Technically, sometime after 5 pm Eastern on March 20th, spring arrives in Canada. Right now, most Canadians looking our their window would likely shrug and say, “Um, not quite yet.” Canadians are long used to the seasons not really lining up with the calendar. Instead, there are other, non-date specific things that we look for… Read More
The Grain Growers of Canada (GGC) have enlisted the support of CropLife Canada in its ‘Road to 2050’ climate-solution initiative. The Road to 2050 will focus on innovation, research and beneficial management practices, representing a practical and proactive approach to tackling climate change. Recommendations, GGC says, will help guide government policies and programming directed at… Read More
What did growers learn about growing edible beans in 2022? Growers experienced much different conditions in the key growing regions, but overall the season was generally positive. In Manitoba, a good crop prevailed after a wet spring delayed planting. In many cases, growers experienced record yields. Further east, dry conditions stressed the Ontario crop but… Read More
La Niña is wrapping up in spring 2023, possibly making way for El Niño which will change global weather patterns. Weather is always a hot topic in the agriculture industry so what do producers need to know about this upcoming shift? Art Douglas, a forecaster for Gavilon, joined RealAg’s Kara Oosterhuis at the Alberta Beef… Read More
Wheat markets tend to err on the side of boring, as its one crop that is grown in essentially every region of the world. That said, ignoring what’s ahead for the market could leave real dollars on the table if growers aren’t paying attention to market moves. Neil Townsend, of FarmLink Marketing Solutions and GrainFox,… Read More
Weather is the biggest variable farmers face, and as many have seen throughout their career, too much or too little of something can seriously wreak some havoc. Andrew Pritchard, senior meteorologist with Nutrien, spoke earlier this week at the Northern Pulse Growers Association AGM, at Minot, North Dakota, to discuss the weather outlook for 2023…. Read More