Almost half of Ontario’s certified crop advisors packed a London, ON hotel conference room this week for their organization’s annual meeting and conference. Ontario Certified Crop Advisor (CCA) Association chair Ken Currah says meeting attendance is a strong indication of grower demand for agronomic services and the expertise that CCAs bring to the farm. He… Read more »
Tag: Ken Currah
Soybean School: Getting fungicide timing right
A stretch of sunny, dry weather in Ontario has soybeans on the comeback trail. That also means that soybean fungicide timing is sneaking up on many growers as the crop picks up steam in mid July. In this edition of RealAgriculture Soybean School, BASF agronomist Ken Currah takes a closer look at the soybean fungicide… Read more »
Corn School: Fungicide strategies for 2017
When it comes to plant development and yield potential, Ontario’s corn crop is all over the map. With pollination quickly approaching, many growers are now wrestling with fungicide strategies for a highly variable crop. In this episode of RealAgriculture Corn School, BASF agronomist Ken Currah reviews the struggles of the 2017 crop and discusses where,… Read more »
Corn School: Blunt Ears, Mould and Sprouting Spell Trouble for Grain Quality
As summer turns to fall in Ontario, the drought conditions that parched corn crops across the province has been replaced by high moisture and high humidity with continued sunshine. That doesn’t bode well for grain quality as harvest approaches, says Pride Market Agronomist Ken Currah. In this episode of Real Agriculture Corn School, Currah looks at… Read more »
Pink Skid Steers, Soaring Heights, & The Word Live — It’s the 2016 Outdoor Farm Show Wrap up
Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show is in the books for another year, and the 2016 edition of the wrap up features not only resident agronomist Peter Johnson (@WheatPete) but also Lyndsey Smith’s (triumphant?) return to RealAgriculture’s signature farm show wrap. Covering a show of this magnitude takes a team, and Peter and Lyndsey highlight what they,… Read more »
Corn School: ‘Troweled-In Corn’ Creates Concrete Soil Conditions
Pride Seeds market agronomist Ken Currah uses the term ‘troweled-in corn’ to describe a scene he witnessed too often during the 2016 planting season. In this episode of Real Agriculture Corn School, he describes how planting corn into cool wet soils this spring was, in some cases, very similar to the act of troweling concrete…. Read more »
Corn School: Dry Conditions Magnify ‘Sins of the Spring’
Ontario’s corn crop is holding its own as the final days of a hot, dry June slip past. But with moisture stress increasing, some ‘sins of the spring’ are taking their toll on cornfields, says Pride Seeds Market Agronomist Ken Currah. In this episode of Real Agriculture Corn School, Currah explains that much of the… Read more »
Soybean School: How Long Can Planted Seed Wait for Rain?
With the June 30 crop insurance deadline approaching, many Ontario farmers are wondering what they should do with their soybeans. Across the province, fields are struggling as seed lays in the ground in varying states of delayed emergence due to drought conditions. In this episode of Real Agriculture Soybean School, Pride Seeds Market Agronomist Ken… Read more »
Corn School: After a Cool May, We Need a ‘Tender’ June
It was slow and steady, but farmers have won the race to get the 2016 Ontario corn crop in the ground. It’s been a cool spring that’s required lots of patience, says Pride Seeds Market Agronomist Ken Currah. On this episode of Real Agriculture Corn School, Currah looks back at spring planting conditions and discusses… Read more »
TWORA — 59,000 Job Vacancies, Ag Safety Week & the Surging Loonie — Mar 17
A shortage of workers is limiting Canada’s economic potential, especially in agriculture. Annual farm cash receipt losses to Canadian producers due to job vacancies are $1.5 billion, according to a report released this week. Postmedia columnist Andrew Coyne was the opening keynote speaker at the “Growing the AgriWorkforce Summit” in Winnipeg and he joins us… Read more »
Corn School: Time to Finalize Your Crop Plan
What a difference a year makes. Back in spring 2015, Ontario farmers were scrambling to manage an abundance of corn stalk residue and grappling with questions about tillage and how to fix fields full of ruts caused by a challenging harvest. Fast forward to spring 2016 and farmers are facing a much more favourable planting… Read more »
Corn School: What We Learned From an Incredible Crop in 2015
It’s been quite a year for Ontario corn growers. Of course there are always exceptions and not everybody is the benefactor of timely rains and optimal growing conditions, but for the most part 2015 produced an incredible corn crop that averaged better than 170 bushels per acre. In this episode of Corn School, Pride Seeds… Read more »
Ontario Agronomists Upset by Ag Minister Leal’s Use of Neonic Regulation Quotes
Ontario corn and soybean growers and agronomists are upset about comments made by the provincial agriculture minister in Question Period this week regarding the government’s new rules limiting the use of neonicotinoid seed treatments. Two seed company agronomists say Agriculture Minister Jeff Leal misconstrued their words after Leal was asked by Tory agriculture critic Toby Barrett to explain… Read more »
Soybean School: Tallying Up and Managing Late-Season Stresses
The 2015 soybean crop has had its share of issues. From a late May frost that had many farmers replanting, to wet conditions that prevented replanting or late planting, and some zero-till beans that really struggled to get through heavy residue, it’s no wonder this crop is variable at best. While the window for most… Read more »
Corn School: Crop Staging, Compaction Hangovers, and Anticipating Silage Harvest
We’re into the thick of the corn growing season, where you finally get to start seeing the real result of all the hard work that’s gone into this crop before now. The 2015 season has been a trying one for many Ontario growers as a great planting season gave way to too little, then too… Read more »