It’s time for Day 7 of Ontario Diagnostic Days! The annual Ontario field crop diagnostic days held at Ridgetown, Elora, and Winchester are again virtual in 2021. Wheat and soybean fungicide tips, tar spot control in corn, manganese deficiency, plant growth regulators and double crop soybeans are all featured in this episode. We’ll kick it off with Ontario… Read More
It’s time for Day 6 of Ontario Diagnostic Days! The annual Ontario field crop diagnostic days held at Ridgetown, Elora, and Winchester are again virtual in 2021. Management tips for corn, soybeans and dry beans; learning lessons from your soil; and the role robotic technology plays on the farm are all featured in this episode. We’ll… Read More
How does strip tillage impact a corn plant’s ability to access and take up nutrients? On this episode of RealAgriculture’s Corn School, Ben Rosser, corn lead at Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, looks at fertility research plots that compare how corn performs in both conventional tillage and spring strip tillage systems. In… Read More
On this Monday edition of RealAg Radio, we’ve got lots of great agronomic content. You’ll hear: Peter “Wheat Pete” Johnson on wheat harvest (in the east and unfortunately in the west), fungicide decisions, and more; Tom Wolf of Sprayers 101 and AgriMetrix on spray drift; Dr. Meghan Vankosky of AAFC Saskatoon on cabbage seedpod weevil… Read More
When it comes to strip tilling, is it better to plant corn into fall strips or spring strips? Ben Rosser, corn lead with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, has been working on this question for a while now, and in this Corn School episode, Bernard Tobin catches up with him in… Read More
Ontario corn growers appear to be sitting on strong yield potential as the the crop shakes off the effects of cool late May weather. Early planting and some timely, albeit limited, rains across the province have propelled the crop forward. With herbicide application expected to wrap up this week, growers will then turn their attention… Read More
It’s time for Day 7 of the virtual Ontario Diagnostic Days! In this episode, we’re talking management strategies for soybeans and corn — everything from planter setup, to replant decisions, and residue management. First up, is Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) soybean specialist Horst Bohner as he sets up to plant… Read More
It’s the start of a new week, and tractor are beginning to roll across the country as we head into the last week of April. And conveniently enough, it’s Agronomic Monday! On today’s episode of RealAg Radio, you’ll hear: Andrew Reid, technical marketing manager with BASF Canada, on early-spring weed control for your pulse crops;… Read More
Does timing matter in strip till? Will corn planted into fall-made strips out-yield spring strips? That’s just one of many questions corn growers are asking as strip tillage gains popularity as a reduced tillage option that delivers the benefits of conventional tillage, says Ben Rosser, corn lead for the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and… Read More
One of the big benefits of strip tilling corn is the ability to place fertilizer directly into the berm or strip for greater nutrient efficiency. But as growers rotate out of strip-tilled corn, how can they assess the overall fertility of a field where nutrient placement was concentrated in specific areas? On this edition of… Read More
Part of the attraction of strip till corn is the ability to cultivate strips in the fall and place fertilizer. It makes for less work in the spring when the field work window is compressed. Those fall strips in heavier soil also help warm the planting zone. But what about fertility — how does corn… Read More
Starter fertilizer can give a corn crop some early-season punch, but if you’re not careful with application rates those new plants could get knocked out by fertilizer burn. Banding fertilizer in a 2-by-2 band beside the seed promotes early growth and vigour but too much nutrient too close to the seed can injure roots and… Read More
Planters are parked across Ontario as rain-soaked and flooded fields are far from fit for corn seed. But soil conditions can turn around in a hurry with better weather and there’s still plenty of yield potential for growers to chase, says Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) corn lead Ben Rosser. In… Read More
Ontario’s cool, wet spring not only delayed planting, but also put the brakes on nitrogen mineralization, limiting the nutrient’s availability to the growing corn crop. According to OMAFRA pre-sidedress nitrate testing (PSNT) survey results released this week, corn growers are looking at the lowest rates of available nitrogen since the survey began in 2013. In… Read More
Ontario corn planting isn’t finished, but it’s probably done. With more rain sweeping across the province – and pushing total spring accumulation to record levels in many areas – it’s unlikely that farmers will be planting corn when things dry out, says Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) corn lead Ben Rosser…. Read More