Producers are starting to see fields of green, as we roll into the middle of June. This means it’s time for those boots to hit the field (again/still), as scouting for disease and insect pressure, nutrient deficiencies and undesirable plants is crucial to understanding the health of plant populations and maximizing yields through subsequent management decisions. In… Read More
Search Results for: corn school
Grain and oilseed growers in Western Canada often look down south at the amazing job that U.S. farmers do with planting the corn crop and wonder, “Should we be using a planter for our crops, too?” While it’s absolutely possible to seed a great stand of canola and even soybeans without converting to a planter-based… Read More
This spring has started off much cooler than usual across much of Western Canada, with forecasts trending towards more cool temperatures. With these cool temperatures comes the risk of frost injury once crops have emerged, but just because a frost occurs does that mean you have to re-seed? Where should you look first? There are… Read More
It definitely seems to be one of those springs that will get referred to as, “remember the spring of 2014?” It isn’t too late yet, but frustration is really settling in as farmers just want to get #plant14 really going or, for many, just started. No matter if you are in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba or… Read More
A couple weeks ago there was a good discussion on Twitter discussing the varying thousand kernel weights (TKW) of canola coming from suppliers this season. I hear this discussion pop up every spring, it seems like, and no wonder. Average TKWs on seed fluctuate from year to year, yes, but there’s been a trend to… Read More
It’s March and I can almost taste spring. Certainly the thermometer around here isn’t part of that – but the slightly longer days and that first day of spring marked on the calendar for later this month – has me longing for it. Dream with me of those warm spring nights in the field filling… Read More
We’ll start this week’s column on a somber note, because this is serious — yesterday it was announced that the first case of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus has been confirmed on a hog farm in Middlesex county in the southwest corner of Ontario. The details are still preliminary, but this deadly virus appears to have… Read More
Canola growers now have access to a new option to defend their crops against the long-time disease threat of sclerotinia. DuPont Crop Protection today announced that the Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) has approved a label addition allowing the use of DuPont Acapela fungicide in canola for control of sclerotinia. Todd Friday, Saskatoon-based Pulse and… Read More
In this last episode of Rob Saik’s epic Agri-Trek to Kenya, Rob takes us on a tour of a primary school’s hodge-podge of a garden. We use the term only to mean the organization of the garden, because the diversity of plants is unlike anything you’d likely see in a North American garden. Corn, beans… Read More
“There are no facts, only interpretations,” is a common quote I refer to from poet Friedrich Nietzsche. Modernizing the language, I take it as, “Facts don’t matter, only the perception.” The struggle for perception in food is at an all time high. I talked last month about A&W’s perception of what ‘Better Beef’ represents, despite… Read More
This month my good friend Janice Person attended the Borlaug Dialogues. There were several events and observations that impacted her greatly. This is a great post from a great friend. I hope that you enjoy it like I did. — Shaun Haney This post was originally published on the Monsanto Blog by Janice Person Last… Read More
The summer of 2013 is turning out to be nothing like the last two years, which may prove problematic for several first-time soybean growers in the province. While 2013 soybean acres likely did not hit the massive 1.3 million mark once estimated, there are likely about a million acres of the nitrogen-fixing crop out in… Read More
Interest in corn and soybeans in Western Canada is reaching a fever pitch, and thanks to some newer short season varieties for both crops farmers are seeing good results. Add in that farmers are looking for ways to stretch expensive canola seed and — ta da! — you’ve got all kinds of new interest in… Read More
The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food has released its latest crop update, dated to May 29. Last weekend’s frost has had an impact on several crops but the only real worry is in the most advanced wheat crops, some of which are pollinating right now. Wheat heads still in the boot or just emerging… Read More
Corn and feedgrain stocks were the only crop types that held or increased volume as of December, 2012. That’s according to Statistics Canada’s ending stocks report released today. Canola stocks were down over 20% over 2011 ending stocks, barley stocks continued to push downwards, even in the face of higher production in 2012, and oats… Read More