A scratchy-voiced Peter Johnson needs you to get out there and scout, scout, scout for aphids on soybean. While you're out in the fields, you also need to check for all sorts of other insects because hot, dry weather is helping creepy-crawlies multiply. It's also time to get that first white mould suppression pass on,... Read More
Category: Agronomy
Crop conditions across Western Canada are quite variable based on sporadic moisture. Even just field to field, the conditions can be so different that farmers and agronomists are facing some really challenging decision making situations. When conditions like drought set in, it can be easy to make assumptions on what is or not happening in... Read More
RealAgriculture agronomist Peter Johnson is keeping a close eye on relay intercropping trials planted in Ontario this summer. The objective of the research is to evaluate whether Ontario farmers could effectively plant soybeans into standing wheat versus double cropping soybeans that are planted after wheat is harvested. In this video, Johnson inspects an intercropping trial... Read More
It's not often that we hear about first-generation farmers. It's also rare to hear about someone picking up and moving provinces to begin to farm, but that's what Steve Larocque did, moving from near Greely, Ontario, to eventually farm at Three Hills, Alberta. Larocque isn't just any grain farmer, either. Admittedly, he's small scale and... Read More
As a crop input, phosphorus is one of those nutrients we tend to think about early, make application decisions as we are seeding, and then all too often, do not think about again until the next growing season. In reality, our crops have a season-long need for phosphate, and this singular focus and approach to... Read More
Wheat has been progressing rapidly thanks to seasonally high temperatures in many areas over the past few weeks, quickly moving into and through the early flowering stage. Early flower is when a fungicide application to prevent fusarium head blight (FHB) is recommended. "Typically we'd expect flowering to start three days after head emergence, and flowering... Read More
The Pest Management Regulatory Agency recently announced results of its re-evaluation of Mancozeb, a broad-spectrum fungicide for agriculture and horticulture crops. Perhaps curiously, the PMRA final decision allows for the continued use of Mancozeb for foliar use on potato crops, the largest acreage use of the fungicide currently. All other uses of Mancozeb are being... Read More
Each July canola growers are faced with the difficult question, "Should I or shouldn't I spray for sclerotinia?" In the more humid parts of Western Canada, sclerotinia is a huge yield robber. It usually strikes on the years when the canola crop has its greatest yield potential, but spraying is expensive and proper timing can... Read More
Ontario has turned into the land of extremes, where wet areas are suffering through excessive rainfall when it happens, while other areas wither in the dry and the heat. There is one near-perfect area — the Ottawa Valley — and host Peter Johnson figures it's so perfect out that way, he doesn't have to answer... Read More
With growing interest in using planter technology to improve seed placement in canola, Väderstad has introduced a new 24-row high-speed planter designed specifically for small-seed crops. The Tempo L 24 made its debut at Canada's Farm Progress Show at Regina, Saskatchewan, last week. "This is the first time we've had 24 row units on this... Read More