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
If you’ve been attending agricultural conferences in the past few years, you’ve likely heard the phrase “social license to operate.” It essentially boils down to the approval of a certain industry by local communities and public stakeholders. With new regulations affecting farms, maintaining social license has become a priority for modern agriculture. At the 2015 Agricultural… Read More
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
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
Pride Seeds’ Dan Foster explains how to estimate soybean yield in this video, shot at Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show. Estimating yields may be more challenging than some of our other annual crops, but it all boils down to a total number of (viable) seeds in a given area. For soybeans, estimating yield without counting every seed over an… Read More
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
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
PRIDE Seeds and CANTERRA Seeds have announced a distribution agreement that brings the PRIDE Seeds portfolio of hybrid seed corn and soybean seed to CANTERRA Seeds dealers across Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta. Stephen Denys, vice president of sales and marketing with PRIDE Seeds, says that research into earlier maturing seed corn hybrids and soybean varieties… Read More
Soybeans can handle slightly colder temps than corn, but their exposed growing point means that frost damage can be far deadlier and permanent. That seems to be the case across much of Ontario, as farmers head to the fields to assess the full fallout of Saturday morning’s hard frost. In this Soybean School episode, PRIDE… Read More
We’re 72 hours out from the late May frost that occurred across much of Ontario, and farmers are busy scouting corn fields for damage. Thankfully, most farmers and crop scouts are already seeing green signs of re-growth — a welcome sight — but reports are trickling in of badly damaged areas within fields. Why did… 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
“When the land is dry, it’s no longer about planning, it’s about execution — it’s our Super Bowl.” That’s a quote from Pride Seeds’ Ken Currah, who caught up with Bernard Tobin for the above Corn School. Currah and Tobin, sheltered from the rain, discussed the importance of preparing for seeding, and having a plan… Read More