This year has been a real struggle for huge parts of the Prairies due to the extreme dry bias. July rains have saved some of the acres, and given them a fighting chance. Even though crop conditions have improved, they are by no means out of the woods yet. Recently on RealAg Radio, Megz Reynolds,… Read More
Category: Weather
Western bean cutworm (WBC) moths typically hit peak flight this week in Ontario — but not this year. Cold, wet spring conditions across the province not only delayed crop planting and development but also put the squeeze on the mating and flight patterns of the yield-robbing pest. On this episode of RealAgriculture’s Corn School, Ontario… Read More
After a wet spring, the weather has turned hot and dry in Ontario and that could mean a proliferation of pests in soybean fields across the province. On this episode of RealAgriculture Soybean School, Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs entomologist Tracey Baute says a change in the weather will likely bring on… Read More
New Zealand doesn’t share a lot in common with Canada, however, when it comes to growing high-yielding wheat Kiwi growers do count on similar management practices to put big-bushel wheat crops in the bin. Syngenta commercial products lead Sam Livesey, a New Zealand native, concedes that the country’s wheat industry is diminutive (135,000 acres) but… Read More
Difficult planting conditions across Ontario this spring are set to test growers yet again as corn fungicide application timing approaches. On this episode of the RealAgriculture Corn School, Ridgetown College, University of Guelph professor Dave Hooker explains that growers looking to control gibberella ear rot can expect a 50 per cent reduction in DON when… Read More
Ontario’s unplanted acres hold the potential for outstanding 2020 winter wheat yields, but growers will have to manage disease risks while planting early to turn that potential into profit, says RealAgriculture agronomist Peter Johnson. Across the province, heavy clay soils, especially in the Niagara Region and Essex County, have not been planted. Johnson has had… Read More
With poor spring planting conditions across Ontario, many farmers have run out of time to get major crops in the ground and thousands of acres will remain unplanted in 2019. What should farmers do with those acres? We asked Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs weed management specialist Mike Cowbrough and RealAgriculture agronomist… Read More
It’s been an unusual year across Ontario and growers could see more of the same as the soybean crop emerges from cool, wet soils, says Albert Tenuta, plant pathologist with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture Food and Rural Affairs. Tenuta believes the backward spring, which has pushed soybean planting to late June across the province,… Read More
Strip till corn is helping Mark Brock build a winning management system for his Staffa, Ont., farm. Brock started strip tilling back in 2015 with the objective of integrating manure from the farm’s chicken operation into a system that would help manage compaction, and further improve soil organic matter with the addition of cover crops…. Read More
Canada’s Farm Progress Show (CFPS) is well underway, and, with it, a much-needed rain for southern Saskatchewan, where crops are struggling. “Probably the first thing that I’ve seen in a long time is our first seeded crops are actually our worst looking crops, and our last seeded crops look fantastic,” says Decisive Farming’s Garth Donald,… Read More
Contour drainage can sure draw a crowd. More than 400 people travelled to a drainage innovation field day last weekend at the Huronview Demonstration Farm at Clinton, Ont. The stars of the show were new contour and controlled tile drainage systems with surface drainage terraces. These systems will provide research insights on how these systems… Read More
Ontario’s cool spring is having a huge impact on the soil release of nitrogen. RealAgriculture agronomist Peter Johnson says he’s seen the impact on the wheat crop already, and growers will have to keep a sharp eye on nitrogen soil tests to ensure they’re meeting the needs of the growing corn crop. In this Corn… Read More
Parts of the Prairies have received decent rainfall recently, though some areas are still waiting on even a drop. For those who were blessed with a little moisture, if you’re wondering whether or not to top up nitrogen on the wheat crop, listen up. Peter Johnson, agronomist for RealAgriculture, says that for those that backed… Read More
Ontario’s corn crop — such that it is — is pretty much planted, as most growers are now turning their focus to soybeans. Across the province during the past month, corn was planted into a range of wet, miserable conditions. The question now is how will the seedlings handle the tough going and what can… Read More
The lack of rainfall in some of the major pasture growing areas in Western Canada is extremely taxing on cow-calf producers. According to Chad MacPherson, general manager of the Saskatchewan Stock Growers Association, Saskatchewan is going into its third year of a major drought, and producers are running out of options. While in some years… Read More