Planting corn directly into a living cover crop before it is killed by herbicide or tillage is not something growers would have considered 30 years ago, says Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural affairs soil management specialist Jake Munroe. More and more farmers, however, are now willing to take the leap thanks to advances… Read More

There are two key messages from this episode of The Agronomists: avoiding compaction and minimizing topsoil movement is well worth the planning and effort, because the alternative results in significant yield loss and is expensive to fix. To dig in (!) to the topic, host Lyndsey Smith is joined by guests Dr. Jeff Schoenau, from… Read More

Cover crops deliver significant soil health and ground cover benefits, but they can often cause spring headaches when growers fail to kill them off in advance of corn and soybean planting. In this video report from Ontario Diagnostic Days 2021, Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs soil management specialists Anne Verhallen and Jake… Read More

Extremely dry conditions in Western Canada have challenged growers at every turn. Now, assessing soil nutrient levels and preparing for next year’s crop is proving difficult, as excessively dry conditions challenge nutrient cycling and mineralization and soil sampling. In the east, a relatively early wheat harvest offers opportunity for cover crops and plenty of time… Read More

Buckle up, it’s time for Day 2 of Ontario Diagnostic Days! The annual Ontario field crop diagnostic days held at Ridgetown, Elora, and Winchester are again virtual in 2021. Cover crops, forage and wheat management is the focus of this episode. We get started with Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs soil management specialists… Read More

Finding soil fertility recommendations for different crops can be time-consuming and hard to pin down. A new app that is simple and quick to use provides tremendous value by bringing soil fertility recommendations for different crops — both field and vegetable — all to one place. “In terms of the Soil Test Manager app, it’s… Read More

Typically, it’s tough to grow organic soybeans without turning to tillage for weed control. When done well, organic yields can rival conventional production, but it comes at a cost — from equipment and labour requirements to long-term soil degradation. There are production systems, however, that are proving to deliver yield without these drawbacks. In the… Read More