In 1996, fusarium devastated the Ontario wheat crop. More than 90 percent of the crop was downgraded to feed, or sample, or simply dumped in the bush thanks to high deoxynivalenol (DON) levels. In 2024, fusarium was back in Ontario fields, but the crop, with help from improved genetic resistance and improved fungicides, was much… Read More
Category: Wheat School
Many farmers are excited to not have to worry about soil moisture this growing season, as recent drought conditions have broken for many areas of the Prairies. While rain truly is a good thing, it is also one of the things that is likely to trigger fungal diseases, such as fusarium head blight (FHB). Frequent… Read More
A large part of farming has always included trying new things to see what impact change can have on soil, crops yield, and ultimately profit margins. While traditional small plot research is imperative for testing new crop varieties, product efficacy, and evaluating individual management practices, there hasn’t always been an easy route to take small… Read More
The beast is back! Ontario’s winter wheat crop has high yield potential but there are also high levels of yield robbing fusarium in fields in some regions of the province. Real Agriculture agronomist Peter ‘Wheat Pete’ Johnson says it’s not as bad as 1996 when fusarium decimated the provincial winter wheat crop, but growers will… Read More
When a detrimental fungus can travel as far and fast as stripe rust can, it is well worth being vigilant about. With susceptible varieties of wheat, this damaging crop disease can impact yields by anywhere between 50 to 90 per cent. Agronomists in southern Manitoba have identified the disease in wheat fields this week. In… Read More
Grasshoppers, both pest species and not, thrive in dry conditions. When back to back (to back) years end up in a dry cycle, grasshopper populations can explode and wipe out a crop. One year of higher moisture isn’t likely to undue that lifecycle bump, so farmers in Saskatchewan and Alberta need to stay vigilant on… Read More
Winter wheat may be the fastest growing crop in Maritime Canada. Over the past five years, the cereal crop has seen significant growth with total acreage on Prince Edward Island alone climbing near 25,000 acres. On this episode of RealAgriculture Wheat School, host Bernard Tobin travels to the Island to find out what’s driving interest… Read More
So many decisions that influence yield need to be made throughout the growing season, and it begins with the optimal seeding rate. As discussed in this Wheat School episode, seeding rate is a factor in tillering, tiller timing, and head size. The ideal seeding rate can also help with a smoother harvest and to time… Read More
There are lots of good things happening as heads emerge in Ontario winter wheat fields. There’s plenty of potential but final yield will likely be determined by how the crop deals with the many stresses it could encounter between now and harvest. What role could biostimulants play in managing those stresses? Could this burgeoning category… Read More
Why is kochia resistant to multiple herbicide groups? Turns out, it’s not any one thing, but a few different aspects of how the plant grows, reproduces, and spreads that make it a hard-to-control and prone to developing herbicide resistance. In this episode of the Wheat School, Dr. Charles Geddes, research scientist with Agriculture and Agri-Food… Read More