The agronomic impacts of what has been a wild year for the Ontario growing season are beginning to accumulate, in the form of rock hard soil, fuzzy white plants, and double cobs. For this early August episode of Wheat Pete's Word, host Peter Johnson tackles the big question of making oat hay after wheat, if... Read More
Category: Agronomy
Farmers will notice a significant difference with DEKALB canola seed bags going forward. Bayer CropScience has announced it will move to number of seeds/bag versus weight, to help farmers more easily achieve target plant populations. For 2022, each bag of DEKALB canola will contain no fewer than 4.2 million seeds — enough for 10 acres... Read More
Buckle up, it’s time for Day 2 of Ontario Diagnostic Days! The annual Ontario field crop diagnostic days held at Ridgetown, Elora, and Winchester are again virtual in 2021. Cover crops, forage and wheat management is the focus of this episode. We get started with Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs soil management... Read More
From October 1965 to March 2002, Dr. Phil Williams worked at the Canadian Grain Commission's Grain Research Laboratory. Needless to say, Williams had a significant impact on the Canadian wheat industry over those four decades. In 1970, he was appointed as the first chemist-in-charge of protein testing and organized the testing and monitoring procedure for... Read More
Success in certain crop systems can sometimes translate to other cropping systems; for example, using a planter in corn adds precision and accuracy to maximize yields and improve agronomic management. In recent years, not a lot of progress has been made in the area of irrigated durum wheat yields, and Farming Smarter is looking at... Read More
It's possible Ontario could set a new wheat record for 2021, and that's saying something, as reports are that many fields are yielding smaller than average seeds. Also this week on Wheat Pete's Word, host Peter Johnson tackles if corn will yield double cobs, why you need to be out scouting the soybean canopy, and... Read More
It's important to know what's going well, and what's not, especially with soil. Certain "canaries in the coalmine" can indicate existing, persistent problems with management practices that over time can be improved. Adam Ireland, who farms with his family near Teeswater in Bruce County, Ont., is joined by Bernard Tobin for this episode of Soil... Read More
Interest in building soil resiliency or measuring soil health is growing. But before jumping to complicated soil health tests, we first need to understand how the basic physical, chemical, and biological properties of a soil in combination with management practices will affect soil microbial populations. "You can't take the genetic base, essentially, like the DNA... Read More
India has lowered its tariff on Canadian lentils to 11 per cent, down from the 33 per cent levied against the crop about a year ago. The new tariff rate applies to all lentils, except those from the U.S., which will face a 22 per cent levy. Mac Ross, director of market access and trade... Read More
Plot trials are a great way to gain preliminary research findings about a particular subject. Based just outside of Lethbridge, Alta., Farming Smarter's primary focus is applied research that helps producers make informed choices around inputs, technology and management practices for their operations. Carlo Van Herk, research technician at Farming Smarter, walks Kara Oosterhuis through... Read More