March 1 marks a special occasion — it's the first day of meteorological spring! What does that really mean? Not much for the day to day stuff, but is important for measuring and comparing weather parameters. That's the kick off to this week's Wheat Pete's Word. Host Peter Johnson can feel the beginning of spring... Read More
Category: Agronomy
The end goal of using cover crops varies from farm to farm, but if using cover crops, there's always one thing to consider: how and when to terminate the crop for maximum benefit and minimum headache. To tackle the topic of spring management and termination of cover crops, host Lyndsey Smith is joined by Ontario... Read More
What did growers learn about growing edible beans in 2022? Growers experienced much different conditions in the key growing regions, but overall the season was generally positive. In Manitoba, a good crop prevailed after a wet spring delayed planting. In many cases, growers experienced record yields. Further east, dry conditions stressed the Ontario crop but... Read More
Lucent Bio and Federated Co-operatives Limited (FCL) have teamed up to distribute Soileos Zinc, a new crop nutrition product, to western Canadian producers. According to the North American Soil Test Summary, zinc is deficient in 30 per cent of soil samples taken in Alberta, 66 per cent of those in Saskatchewan, and 61 per cent... Read More
Soil acidity is an issue that's gaining attention in the Northern Plains, especially in areas where no-till practices have been paired with high surface-applied nitrogen rates. "They're seeing this advancing a lot faster in parts of North Dakota and Montana, under traditional zero till conditions where they broadcast urea fertilizer. They find they're acidifying the... Read More
Brant County farmer Steve Sickle has been named president of the Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association (OSCIA) for 2023. Sickle has been involved in the Brant Federation of Agriculture, Brant Beef Farmers, Ontario Soil Network, and the agriculture advisory council for the county. His OSCIA involvement stretches back many years, and he's also worked... Read More
Cattle coming north, a tax credit for processing development, and trucking e-logs are all top of mind for Alberta's Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation, Nate Horner. Speaking at this week's Alberta Beef Industry Conference, Horner says the announced Agri-Processing Investment Tax Credit won't be in place until the current government passes its budget, but the... Read More
Someone get the man a party hat — Peter Johnson has hosted 400 episodes of Wheat Pete's Word! For anyone doing the math, Pete records 50 to 51 episodes a year (depending on if he takes any holidays), so this is a real milestone for Johnson. On this episode of the Word, Johnson doesn't spend... Read More
Bacterial leaf streak is not a particularly new disease to Canada but there are ongoing projects to increase identification and prevention of the disease. Dr. Constanza Fleitas, with the cereal and flax pathology group at the University of Saskatchewan, says that bacterial leaf streak is a growing issue in the U.S., and there are increasing... Read More
Four thousand bushels of portable grain storage is not something you see everyday on the farm or at the National Farm Machinery Show at Louisville, Kentucky. But when Walkabout Mother Bins made their first-ever appearance last week at the annual machinery showcase, many farmers couldn't resist the opportunity to get a close-up look at the... Read More