The race is on in many areas — and hopefully soon will be in others — to get this year’s soybean crop in the ground. It’s critical to make some pit-stops along the way to adjust the planter or drill for optimum performance, as covered in this Soybean School episode. Seed size can vary widely,… Read More
Tag: Dieter Schwarz
Planting season can be a busy, chaotic time, but not paying attention to details, such as variation in seed size, can be costly and impact yield potential for the rest of the growing season. “There are no second chances as it relates to population. What you put in the ground now is what will make your… Read More
Growers in the east and west can both attest to the truth in Luke Bryan’s lyrics about rain and corn this year, but for different reasons. While drought-stressed corn plants in parts of Ontario have failed to produce cobs, the crop has benefited from plenty of moisture on the prairies. “I’ve always jokingly said — and… Read More
It’ll be a few weeks before we actually know how this year’s soybeans are going to yield, but we can get a pretty good idea now, especially if we’re willing to put some time into building a good sample size for making an estimate. Dieter Schwarz, the new market development manager for corn and soybeans… Read More
This year’s corn crop is barely in the hopper, and it’s already time to make decisions about what to plant next spring as seed companies offer early booking discounts for next year’s acres. Do you decide to go with tried-and-true, or the newest star variety that looked really good in your neighbour’s plots this year? How many acres… Read More
Words like “excellent” and “great” are being used to describe the 2015 corn crop in the grain corn-growing regions of Western Canada. “I’m almost tempted to say phenomenal, but that sometimes sets high expectations,” says Dieter Schwarz of PRIDE Seeds in this Corn School episode. “We certainly have a great corn crop. Yields are average… Read More
Is your planter ready to roll? Corn planting season will soon be here for growers in Ontario and Western Canada. While it’s been a cool spring in Ontario, an early melt in Western Canada meant some fields were dry enough to plant several weeks ago. However, the date on the calendar and the temperature reading on the soil… Read More
Soil conditions in the heart of the soybean growing area on the eastern prairies have been dry this spring, leading to questions about planting deeper than normal to ensure the seed has access to moisture. This Soybean School West episode takes us to the middle of a windy field near Portage, Man., where Dieter Schwarz of Pride… Read More
With corn planting season around the corner, the annual routine of getting planting units ready for a new growing season is well underway. The planter setup and calibration process should account for the size of corn seed going through the planter, notes Dieter Schwarz of Pride Seeds in this latest Corn School episode. “Look at that bag of… Read More
With reports of the first corn fields being harvested in Manitoba, producers will soon find out the extent to which early frost and Goss’s Wilt reduced yields. Both frost and Goss’s cause premature drydown of the leaves, explains Dieter Schwarz, market development agronomist with Pride Seeds, in this Corn School episode. “Once you’ve lost your green and… Read More
Perhaps we should go ahead and just call 2014 the year of variability. Manitoba farmers struggled with a late, wet spring, as did many parts of Saskatchewan. Alberta has largely fared far better, with the pendulum swinging the other way and into too-dry for the Peace region. Crops can grow their way out of the… Read More
Chlorosis, or yellowing of leaf tissue in plants, can be an indicator of a great number of issues from nutrient deficient soils to poor root systems or saturated soils. Manitoba farmers especially are dealing with excess moisture this year, even outside of the flood zones along the Assiniboine River, and while soybeans do take standing… Read More
“You shouldn’t plant until your soil is fit.” It’s a great quote, but what does “fit” soil look like? Well, it’s not just what it looks like, soil fit for planting corn also needs to be warm, though we use the term loosely here in Western Canada. The fact is, regardless of how dry or… Read More
Whether it’s a brand new crop type or just a new-to-your-farm variety, setting up a basic head to head comparison or small-scale trial can help minimize the risk of going all-in. On-farm trials or variety comparisons are especially helpful when trying to choose a corn variety, as hybrid production can vary so widely between growing… Read More