No two farmers manage their corn crop the same way, yet can achieve top yields. This is great news, because it means that no matter what your goals are for the farm, from decreasing tillage, to using more cover crops, there's a way to produce more corn per acre. That's one of the take-home messages... Read More
Tag: Ken Currah
Pleasantly surprised describes many corn growers this fall, even as the harvest drags on into December. While there were areas that suffered from excess moisture and cool temps, many areas are finally tallying up the last of the corn yields and the numbers are, well, quite good. Ontario field editor, Bernard Tobin, joined Ken Currah,... Read More
Timing really is everything, especially in agriculture and especially when it comes to weather. Sunshine and rainfall amounts might pan out on paper but a late start to planting, 20 plus days of rain in October and extreme heat with no rain in August can really throw things for a loop. Enter a very frozen... Read More
This mornings frost warning had some Ontario farmer's teeth chattering, but it wasn't the cold that did it. Farmers in the certain counties of Ontario would be understandably nervous depending on how far along their corn crop is. Frost at the wrong time can take a sizeable bite out of your corn yield. Once temperatures... Read More
Even if you were never the type to peek at your Christmas gifts early, there are few farmers who can help themselves from trying to get a bead on the corn crop coming. Luckily, assessing corn cob development is a useful task at this point in the growing season, as it offers up not only... Read More
Big iron, excellent distribution networks and long hours meant that roughly 80% of the southern Ontartio corn and soybean crop went in the ground between May 6th to 20th. As Ken Currah, with PRIDE Seeds notes in this RealAgriculture.com Crop Update Ontario, available horsepower and machinery means that when the ground is fit, it's off... Read More
As if a late spring and cold weather weren't bad enough, current planting conditions in some areas of Ontario are ripe for a millipede feeding frenzy. Millipedes prefer cool soil temps and will stay deep in the soil profile, munching away on organic matter, as long as surface soil temps are warm and increasing. But... Read More
Is it warm enough to plant? It's a common question these days and one that has many a farmer out checking soil temps often. The tricky part about spring soil warm-up is that the optimal soil temp for germination isn't necessary the optimum soil temp for sprouting and emergence of the corn crop. Add in... Read More
Rain or shine, drought or not, nitrogen is king when it comes to targeting the highest yields possible in corn. While it may not be a surprise that even in a dry year corn responds to added nitrogen, there's still work to be done on the economic levels of that response with environmental stewardship in... Read More
As farmers approach the mid-way point of the Ontario corn harvest (and quickly surpass it, we hope), preliminary reports suggest decent yields in spite of challenging conditions. That said, it most certainly wasn't an ideal growing season, and farmers aren't likely to see their highest ever production this year. What a challenging year does allow... Read More