Of course we're in for six more weeks of winter, Groundhog, we live in Canada! You know what else you can expect for the next six weeks (and longer)? Wheat Pete's Word! On this week's episode, host Peter Johnson explores many topics, including some shifting thinking on sulphur, how nitrogen fertilizer can acidify soil, and... Read More
Category: Agronomy
The science supporting what we know and don't know about soil health, nutrient cycling, and soil microbes builds every year. Not long ago, much of the soil management narrative focused on keeping soil covered (don't farm naked!) to minimize erosion risk and build soil. Now we know that while preventing or at least decreasing erosion... Read More
Grain farmers are known for their generosity when supplying nitrogen to the corn crop, but many growers get stingy when providing nitrogen to the soybean crop. That's a situation University of Illinois plant physiology professor Fred Below sees too often when it comes to managing the oilseed crop. In his presentation last month at the... Read More
Wheat growers looking to manage resistance without compromising their crop rotation have a new herbicide to add to their management toolbox. Syngenta Canada has launched Erebus Xtreme, a grass and broadleaf cereal herbicide that combines Group 2 and Group 4 active ingredients in a pre-mixed liquid formulation. When using Erebus Xtreme, Syngenta says cereal growers... Read More
Today, farm robots come in all shapes and sizes, but they're really not much different than a farm tractor, says Chuck Baresich, robot expert and general manager for Haggerty Creek Ltd. Last summer, Baresich joined OMAFRA crop innovation specialist Ian McDonald on the Ontario Diagnostic Days video series talk about the evolution of robot technology... Read More
There are more than 660 Certified Crop Advisors (CCA) working in Ontario agriculture, a number that has grown tremendously in recent years that reflects the growing trust that farmers have in those who are certified. To gain insight into the evolving role of CCAs and how they're working with farmers, Bernard Tobin is joined by... Read More
Two Manitoba groups have launched an initiative to connect livestock producers and grain producers through the Manitoba Grazing Exchange (MGE). The Manitoba Organic Alliance (MOA) and Manitoba Forage and Grassland Association (MFGA) says the grazing exchange website is designed to make it easier for livestock producers to connect with grain producers who have available grazing... Read More
Who would have thought that wireworms would cause so many calls and concerns? A discussion from a few weeks ago has certainly opened — ahem — a can of worms on the topic, and we're here to set the record straight, mostly. In this week's edition of Wheat Pete's Word, you'll hear that, plus we... Read More
The practice of variable rate seeding for corn continues to increase as growers attempt to match seeding rates and hybrid characteristics to the varying yield potential across their fields. With the growth of precision agriculture, every year more growers adopt variable rate seeding strategies but are they effectively evaluating and fine-tuning this strategy on their... Read More
There are more than a dozen decisions to make before the sprayer hits the field. Are conditions right? Are the tank-mix partners correct? Do I have the right nozzles? How's my water? Should I be adding in something more? The key to making the right call for these and all the other decisions that go... Read More