A soybean plant's yield potential is closely linked to the number of nodes — the part where a leaf is attached to the stem — it develops prior to flowering and forming pods. Two million nodes per acre is a recommended target, explains Jason Voogt, independent agronomist and owner of Field 2 Field Agronomy in... Read More
Category: Agronomy
Many may think the time to check the drill for seeding rate and depth is as the drill is going over the field. While they wouldn't be wrong, it's also important to get out and dig through that field as the canola field germinates and emerges. Rob Macdonald of BASF joins this episode of the... Read More
As planting of corn and soybeans nears the finish line across Ontario, farmers and agronomists are turning their attention to weed control. A stretch of dry weather that fuelled a two-week sprint of planting, with little time for spraying, means many growers are now checking the status of pre-plant applications and trying to determine next... Read More
For the past two years, there have been issues with the delivery of water early in the growing season across the Lethbridge Northern Irrigation District (LNID). In 2022, there were different reasons for the inability to access water early on, but this year, water challenges were linked to breakages and leaks in the canals. As... Read More
A Tuesday morning poll of Ontario agronomists, extension specialists, and crop retail representatives based in the southwestern region of the province indicates about two-thirds of the provincial soybean crop has been planted as of May 23. "That's pretty awesome," says Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) soybean specialist Horst Bohner, adding that... Read More
A widespread rain sweeping across Ontario this past weekend provided plenty of moisture to activate soil-applied, pre-plant herbicides in crop fields throughout the province. With the timely rain, many growers are now asking: after activation do these herbicides have the capability to 'reach back' and control already-emerged weeds and grasses such as foxtail? University of... Read More
Once the canola crop has emerged, keep eyes peeled for pesky early insects. Across Western Canada, the top two insects of concern tend to be cutworms and — you guessed it — flea beetles. Anique Josuttes of BASF says even though we say it year after year, the number one tool you can use is... Read More
Nightshade can be a nightmare for edible bean growers. The weed can play havoc with the crop as mature berries produced by the eastern black nightshade plant cause edible bean staining and mud tagging, and can even gum up cleaning equipment at the processing plant. On this episode of the RealAgriculture Edible Bean School, Ontario... Read More
Chilly to downright cold nights have some Ontario farmers worried about alfalfa, wheat, and beans. Of course, if you look west, the heat is on and so are the wildfires, obscuring the sun for much of Alberta. For this week's around-the-horn on agronomy updates, host of Wheat Pete's Word Peter Johnson tackles the frost question,... Read More
It is the year of the dandelion. The hardy perennial pests are bigger and more plentiful in fields across Ontario than farmers can ever remember. University of Guelph weed scientist Peter Sikkema has been fielding many questions about why the weed is so abundant this spring and how best to control it. When it comes... Read More