The Northern Great Plains are in a major drought. Unfortunately, there isn't a better way to say it out loud, as it's not just the Canadian Prairies — the drought extends into parts of the whole western half of North America. Janna Block, livestock systems extension specialist with North Dakota State University extension, recently joined... Read More
Category: Agronomy
A tissue test can give you a snapshot into what's happening in a plant as far as nutrient uptake is concerned. The test doesn't necessarily predict an issue, and not all results are actionable; that's left many agronomists wondering how best to use tissue tests in conjunction with soil tests, zone mapping, and fertility planning.... Read More
Pea leaf weevils are out and active, and if they're present in your fields they're doing foliar damage to pea and faba bean crops. Meghan Vankosky, field crop entomologist at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Saskatoon, Sask., joins Kara Oosterhuis for a discussion about pea leaf weevil scouting and thresholds in this Pulse School episode. "You... Read More
There is tremendous yield potential in Ontario corn fields right now. With recent rainfalls, subsoil moisture has been replenished and the crop has jumped in the last few days. Great looking acres and strong corn prices both weigh into the decision to apply fungicides. In this Corn School episode, Bernard Tobin is joined by BASF... Read More
It's well-known that canola does not like heat during flowering. As soon as daytime highs rise beyond 30 degrees C — as we're seeing through the current heat wave in Western Canada — the plant can become heat stressed, which leads to blasting and aborted pods. High temperatures can essentially cause a breakdown in communication... Read More
Some farmers practice strip till in their cornfields, some plant corn in twin rows, while others plant multiple hybrids. Then there's Mike Strang — he does it all in the same field and even adds cover crops to the management mix. On this episode of The Sharp Edge, Strang, who farms with his family near... Read More
Recent weather events in parts of Ontario have really flattened some wheat crops. There's an awesome crop out there, but harvesting it will now be much more difficult. In this episode of the Wheat School, Peter "Wheat Pete" Johnson talks about combine set-ups, the possibility of applying a pre-harvest burndown, and is later joined by... Read More
Lodged crops, flooded crops, and burning crops — there's no shortage of crops under stress this week in Canada. Of course, there are also some tall, fast-growing corn crops, and in this week's Wheat Pete's Word, host Peter Johnson is covering the top agronomy questions of the week. From available nitrogen causing some issues to... Read More
We know that planting a soybean crop is half the battle in getting good yields, but once it's growing and the potential is there, how can growers protect soybean yield potential? In this Soybean School episode, Ken Currah, agronomist at BASF, joins Bernard Tobin in the field at Oxford County, Ont., to talk white mould,... Read More
There's no doubt that the heat forecasted for this week will have adverse effects on crops throughout the Prairies, but the full extent of how badly crops are injured will depend largely on soil moisture reserves. "Things are not looking too good heading into this week," said Jeremy Boychyn, agronomy extension specialist with Alberta Wheat... Read More