Welcome to Season 4 of the Pests & Predators podcast series, where top entomologists highlight the insect Field Heroes hard at work for Canadian farmers. Dr. Meghan Vankosky, research scientist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) at Saskatoon, Sask., co-chairs the Prairie Pest Monitoring Network (PPMN), a key tool in alerting farmers to pest population... Read More
Category: Agronomy
What's old is new again, or at least as relevant as ever when it comes to managing herbicide resistant weeds. Research led by Charles Geddes, weed scientist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada at Lethbridge, shows cultural practices — tighter row spacing, higher seeding rates, and longer crop rotations — can be just as effective as... Read More
Thick stand? Thin stand? How does your wheat look as the growing season revs up with mid-April heat? In Ontario, RealAgriculture Agronomist Peter Johnson likes what he sees and says it's time to get out, scout winter wheat fields and assess those stands. Looking back on data from the first two years of the Great... Read More
Planting corn at a uniform depth across the field is a key driver of even emergence and optimum yield. To ensure seed is planted at the desired depth, Kearney Planters operations manager Cullen Tinline says it's critical for growers to ensure they 'zero' the row units before they roll into fields this spring. On most... Read More
It's summertime, says Peter Johnson, host of Wheat Pete's Word. Well, maybe not quite, but it's sure feeling a heck of a lot more like spring out there. In this week's episode of the Word, Johnson discusses erosion and tillage, record temperatures, a positive attitude, and more. Have a question you’d like Johnson to address... Read More
Often when looking at soil samples, our eyes tend to flick straight to the nitrogen section. Where are N levels? What do we need to apply? Nitrogen is very important in wheat production, but as Jeremy Boychyn, agronomy research extension manager with the Alberta Wheat and Barley Commissions explains, we still need to be keeping... Read More
Because biological crop products are neither fertilizer nor pesticide, there's no requirement for efficacy proof before a product is released for commercial sales. So long as it doesn't cause harm to the crop or pose an environmental risk, these biostimulants, stress supporters, and nutrient enhancers are largely sold on a buyer beware market. But that's... Read More
Saskatchewan soybean production has been a roller coaster ride over the past decade. In 2013, growers planted 170,000 acres of the oilseed. Growing enthusiasm for the crop pushed acres higher to 850,000 in 2017, but since that time weather challenges and poor yields have caused acres to plunge — just over 45,000 acres were planted... Read More
There are many variables that determine the success of a crop and crop rotations can be used to maintain and manage nutrient and moisture levels in the soil. Anne Paquette is a masters candidate at the University of Saskatchewan whose thesis is focused on water use efficiency. Research typically shows increased water use efficiency of... Read More
The weather outside might be frightful, especially for the first week of April, but Wheat Pete's Word is so delightful! This week on the podcast, host Peter Johnson makes some very important clarifications on sulphur concentration in fertilizer products, talks erosion events and manure application compaction, and throws out a new challenge to listeners regarding... Read More