Are the roots of your corn crop running into a cement pad six inches below the surface? It’s time to find out. In this episode of RealAgriculture’s Corn School, AGRIS Co-operative agronomist Dale Cowan demonstrates how growers can effectively use a soil penetrometer to locate a soil hardpan and help eliminate the compaction so plant… Read more »
Tag: Dale Cowan
Corn School: ‘Aha moments’ in your fields
Have you ever spotted an area of vigourous plants in your cornfield and wondered why they’re a growth stage or two ahead of neighbouring plants? There are plenty of agronomic insights we can glean from our fields to improve farm management and yield, says AGRIS Co-operative agronomist Dale Cowan. Quite often the opportunity is right… Read more »
Corn School: Time to start talking NPK and S
The N-P-K conversation – nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium – is the focus of most corn nutrient management discussions. But is it time for the letter S (sulphur) to be a routine part of that conversation? In this edition of RealAgriculture Corn School, AGRIS Co-operative agronomist Dale Cowan is joined by crop sales specialist Mike Veenema to… Read more »
Cowan Receives International Agronomist Award
An agronomist from southern Ontario is receiving an international recognition from his peers. Dale Cowan, senior agronomist and sales manager with AGRIS and Wanstead Cooperatives, has been named the 2016 International Certified Crop Adviser of the Year. The award recognizes a certified crop adviser (CCA) who “delivers exceptional customer service, is highly innovative, has shown… Read more »
Corn School: Testing Nitrogen With ‘Tailgate Technology’
Fine-tuning nitrogen rates promises to get easier with the arrival of ‘tailgate technology’ that allows growers to test for nitrates on the tailgate of their truck. That means no more couriering soil samples to the lab, or waiting for up to three days for results in the busy season. In this episode of the Corn School,… Read more »
Corn School: What’s the Deal With Down Force?
Consistent planting depth and even emergence — it’s every corn grower’s goal, but it can be difficult to achieve. In this Corn School episode, AGRIS Co-operative agronomist Dale Cowan takes a close look at the impact planter down force can play in helping (or hindering) growers in their quest for an evenly spaced, picket fence… Read more »
Corn School: Zone Sampling Key to Managing Field Variability
Harvest is wrapped up and your yield monitor has accumulated another year of data. What should you do with it? In this episode of Corn School, AGRIS Co-operative agronomist Dale Cowan shares his thoughts on how you can use that yield data to guide soil sampling and create management zones in your fields. Many farmers… Read more »
Corn School: Planter Monitor Data Fuels 2016 Strategy
Harvest is in the homestretch and it’s time for farmers to start thinking about how the precision agriculture data they’ve accumulated can help build a winning strategy for 2016. In this Corn School episode, AGRIS Co-operative agronomist Dale Cowan looks at how farmers can combine performance data and field observations to diagnose issues that contribute… Read more »
Corn School: How UAV Maps Make $ense for Nitrogen Application
The yield monitor is still the best barometer when it comes to assessing the value of crop inputs and agronomic strategies, but UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) are proving to be an important tool for in-season measurement and assessment of cropping strategies. Not Just Toys: Adding Value with UAVs Chad Colby’s Top Tips for Integrating UAV… Read more »
In The Dirt: How MOM Helps Farmers Meet 4R Fertility Management Goals
In this episode of In The Dirt, Salford’s Jim Boak introduces us to AGRIS Co-operative agronomist Dale Cowan and the role agronomists play in helping farmers implement and achieve 4R nutrient stewardship. Boak recommends farmers pay particular attention to how Cowan uses an approach called MOM to meet 4R objectives. This includes using the right… Read more »
Corn School: Making the Most of an Uneven Stand
Following frost and challenging weather conditions, it’s not uncommon to find wide staging variability in Ontario corn fields this year. Uneven development will complicate timing of fungicide and insecticide applications, notes Dale Cowan, senior agronomist with AGRIS Cooperative, in this installment of the Corn School. “You have to get an idea of what percentage of the… Read more »