Crop input decisions would be made so much easier if only one year's weather would predict the next. But we know that one dry year doesn't make a trend, so while 2018 is looking dry in Western Canada will it stay dry for the growing season? Will crop disease be less of a threat because... Read More
Category: Agronomy
There's this thing about nature — it adapts. Many canola growers are getting a real taste of this in recent years by a slow but steady resurgence of blackleg showing up and stealing yield. For those who think, "hey, we have genetic resistance, didn't we deal with this already?" read and listen on. Record canola... Read More
Grain Farmers of Ontario has named Laura Ferrier, a Certified Crop Advisor, as its agronomist. This is a newly created position for the organization that represents the 28,000 barley, corn, oat, soybean, and wheat farmers in the province. Ferrier may be the new agronomist, but she is certainly not new to Grain Farmers of Ontario... Read More
Interested in growing camelina for Three Farmers? Get ready to intercrop. Three Farmers, a Saskatchewan-based snack food company, is offering, for the first time, production contracts for camelina, an oilseed crop. A stipulation of the contract is that camelina be grown in tandem with either pea or lentil. Likely the first-of-its-kind stipulation in a crop... Read More
If you're targeting maximum corn yield, you need to fine-tune plant nutrition for a particular two-week period of the corn growing season, says Tony Vyn, professor of agronomy at Purdue University. That's because while we've been focused on more rows and kernels per row per ear, modern hybrids can pack tonnes of yield in if... Read More
Do you plant a cover crop before or after you harvest corn silage? It's an option dairy farmers should consider, says University of Wisconsin Extension crops and soils agronomist Heidi Johnson, especially when planting corn after corn. Removing corn silage and then leaving the ground bare risks soil erosion, decreases microbial activity, and reduces the... Read More
How confident are you in your selected nitrogen (N) rate for wheat? Do you adjust that number based on yield potential? Variety? Soil type? How much N is enough to reach maximum potential? You might be surprised to learn that existing nitrogen rate recommendations are based off of older research, with older varieties, and without... Read More
When we think of canola, we think Western Canada. And there's no doubt that the prairies are the canola capital, but Meghan Moran, canola and edible bean specialist with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, reminds us that there are still canola growers in Ontario, too. While the all-time high of 90,000... Read More
The use of drones for spraying cleared a major regulatory milestone last summer, as Transport Canada issued its first approval for commercial spraying with an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), according to the Elie, Manitoba-based company that received the permission. To fly any aircraft — manned or unmanned — for commercial purposes in Canada, you must... Read More
Many farmers understand the benefits cover crops can bring to their operation. From reduced soil erosion to improved soil structure, nutrient recycling, moisture retention and much more – the list of benefits is long and impressive. But how do cover crops impact yield? Do all these benefits add up to higher production and a better... Read More