It's Canada's Ag Day, and it's time to celebrate the food and farmers you love. How are you celebrating? That's how Peter "Wheat Pete" Johnson kicks off this week's Wheat Pete's Word before diving in to the topics and questions of the week, including if cover crops are really going to be dead come spring,... Read More
Category: Agronomy
Nitrogen can't have all the fun — sometimes we need to bring in the lesser-knowns of the NPKS party. For this episode of The Agronomists, we dive in to the world of sulphur: why crops need it, why farmers have to add it, and how to diagnose and correct a deficiency. Our experts are Colin... Read More
In 2022, the top 20 growers in the Great Lakes Yield Enhancement Network (YEN) harvested 50 bu/ac more wheat than the bottom 20 growers in overall yield rankings. What's really surprising, says RealAgriculture agronomist Peter Johnson, is that this gap exists despite there being only a five percent difference in yield potential between the two... Read More
Tar spot has been spreading across North American corn growing regions ever since the leaf disease was first detected in 2015. Characterized by tar-like speckling on the upper surface of corn leaves, the fungal pathogen can deliver yield hits ranging from 20 to 60 bushels per acre (in highly infected fields). On this episode of... Read More
Learning from on-farm research and farmers learning from each other is a cornerstone of a Yield Enhancement Network (YEN). First piloted in Europe, a YEN connects growers, researchers, and data to test theories and learn from each other using field-scale experience. Aaron Mills, a research scientist with Agriculture & Agri-food Canada (AAFC), spoke this week... Read More
For good reason, there's been increased discussion about 4R nutrient management. This easy-to-remember moniker refers to increasing fertilizer use efficiency by considering the right rate, time, placement, and form of a product (usually nitrogen and phosphorus). The 4Rs are focused on fertilizer, but as Dr. Claudia Wagner-Riddle, researcher with the University of Guelph noted in... Read More
When people think of Atlantic Canada, they often think of the abundant potatoes grown in the area. While there's a reason this comes to mind, as potatoes are a key crop, there are several other crops grown in rotation to ensure soil health and overall crop health. This is one of the messages the Atlantic... Read More
It seems any time is a good time for the Wheat Pete 15 — that's taking 15 minutes out of your week to call someone you haven't checked in with in a while. This week, that reminder is especially poignant, as you'll hear in Wheat Pete's Word, below. Also in this week's podcast, host Peter... Read More
ADAMA Canada is introducing new crop protection products for imidazolinone tolerant (Clearfield) lentils as well as all peas and soybeans in time for the 2023 crop year. Davai A Plus, a broad-spectrum herbicide with two modes of action, will be registered for imidazolinone tolerant lentils, peas and soybeans. The introduction of Davai A Plus is... Read More
It's been 20 years since soybean aphids were first reported in Ontario soybean fields. Over the years, growers and researchers have learned that no two years seem to be the same and populations of the yield-robbing pests vary from year-to-year. There has, however, been significant changes to aphid behaviour over the years and this evolution... Read More