Sometimes it’s hard to get more than a few days for a vacation, no matter where you’re going. Take our recent vacation to Newfoundland, for example. We had only four days available at the tail end of my wife’s conference in St. John’s, but we were determined to see the western part of the province… Read More
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Producers can, and will, continue asking the age-old rhetorical question about why anyone thinks they are, or would be, insensitive to the environment when (unlike most people) they and their families actually live where they work. And although it’s a valid question, I get a feeling that the way our what’s-in-it-for-me society has evolved, logic… Read More
Insects, insects, insects! Peter Johnson is amazed by all the insects he is seeing this year. In this week’s episode of Wheat Pete’s Word, RealAg agronomist Peter Johnson talks about bugs, disease diagnostics, and weed control woes. He also has some “cover crop craziness” to discuss, and much more! Check out what Wheat Pete has… Read More
What’s with all the hail and rain? In this week’s episode of Wheat Pete’s Word, RealAg agronomist Peter Johnson once again talks about the extreme weather Ontario has been facing, including the hail, and what it’ll take to recover. He expresses excitement about some beautiful barley he’s seeing, but also disappointment as he talks of… Read More
It’s Monday and that means we have an agronomy theme on today’s show, hosted by Kelvin Heppner (Shaun Haney is away this week): Rick Bergmann, chair of the Canadian Pork Council, on the discussions surrounding trade and NAFTA negotiation at the World Pork Expo in Des Moines, as well as the PED outbreak in his home… Read More
In this episode of Wheat Pete’s Word, RealAg Agronomist Peter Johnson wonders why insects are such a problem already, seeing as it’s been a wet year, and that usually means the fields are full of disease, not bugs. He also dives into crop progress — what sort of advances have been made in Ontario, as… Read More
It’s the last week of April and not only is there crop in the ground in areas of southern Ontario, but there’s even a few corn and soy plants poking above ground! Don’t feel bad, though, if that’s not where you’re at — there’s plenty of field prep and planning still happening across not just… Read More
Clarence Swanton has worked for 16 years on a super cool project that takes about 40 minutes to explain properly, as he did at the recent Southwest Agricultural Conference. Perhaps more impactful, however, is the time-lapse video he showed whereby the mere presence of weedy surroundings actually killed a tobacco seedling. Perhaps this makes sense —… Read More
If your wheat stand looks more like a golf green than a cereal crop, should you still put down clover early in the spring? And why the push for longer season varieties? Yes, it’s time for Wheat Pete’s Word here at RealAgriculture, and Peter Johnson has a fact-ion (see what we did there?) packed podcast… Read More
Harvest is rocking and rolling for most corn and soybean growers in Ontario save for @WheatPete himself who took an equipment breakdown as a chance to get the Word done early this week. This week’s Wheat Pete’s Word covers a lot of ground, including the why behind high test weight corn, the nitrogen connection to high… Read More
With above average yields anticipated in Western Canada and the northern U.S., there will probably be some grain going into what we might call nontraditional or alternative storage facilities. Ken Hellevang is a grain storage and drying expert at North Dakota State University. “Grain must be dry and cool (near the average outdoor temperature) when placed in alternative storage… Read More
The complete picture will be painted over the next few weeks, but buyers are bracing themselves for variable quality in this year’s wheat crop in Western Canada. “The big challenge is the ongoing rainfall events,” notes Neil Townsend, market analyst with FarmLink Marketing Solutions, in the interview below. “Other quality factors, not just protein, but… Read More
Excess water after heavy rains in parts of Western Canada is not only impairing plant growth through oxygen deficiency, but it’s also causing significant nitrogen losses. As John Heard, soil fertility specialist with Manitoba Agriculture, explains in this video, N losses depend on soil type, with rain causing leaching in sandier soils and more denitrification… Read More
The grains complex pushed up to new highs this week due to two factors: money flow and South America. Here in North America, the percentage of fields planted is well ahead of its 5-year average. This week, soybeans came within a sliver of touching $11/bushel, wheat was pushed up due to quality concerns in the Southern Plains, while corn… Read More
Will tiny tractors solve our compaction issues? Are you re-thinking your typical tillage plans? In this week’s Word, Peter Johnson, resident agronomist for RealAgriculture, covers everything from tillage to herbicide and compaction to crop insurance. Skip to Podcast Have a question for Wheat Pete? Call 1-888-746-3311, send him a tweet (@wheatpete), or email him at [email protected]. Last Week’s Word:… Read More