It’s been a rugged start for Ontario’s soybean crop. With cool, wet growing conditions, late planting, insect feeding and soil crusting, many growers find themselves squarely behind the eight ball. According to OMAFRA soybean specialist Horst Bohner, most soybeans have been planted but some growers are still struggling to get seed in the ground. What... Read More
Category: Agronomy
Hemp is often seen as a new crop, and in retrospect, it still is. Only allowed to be grown in Canada since 1998, there haven't been the decades of research and experience with hemp as with other crops. Jan Slaski, senior researcher with Alberta Innovates - Technology Futures, based in Vegreville Alberta, says that southern... Read More
Higher water volumes are always best when spraying crops. Right? Actually, that’s a myth. In this episode of Spray Tips Special Edition we find our Sprayers101.com dynamic duo – Tom Wolf of AgriMetrix, and Jason Deveau of the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs – enjoying a well-deserved coffee break. Enjoying their java,... Read More
Take control back at harvest. Despite being new to straight cutting, Mark and Matt Ferguson have already seen a lot of progress. After trying the practice with a shatter-resistant variety on a small number of acres, they gained the confidence to expand to a larger number of acres. Find out how the Ferguson’s use straight... Read More
Aster yellows is a 'phytoplasma' disease carried by aster leafhoppers. It's known for the odd-shaped canola pods it causes later in the growing season. Problems with aster yellows are hit and miss, depending on your area and the year. "We are kind of waiting for the next leafhopper infestation with aster yellows, the next big... Read More
Ontario’s cool, wet spring not only delayed planting, but also put the brakes on nitrogen mineralization, limiting the nutrient’s availability to the growing corn crop. According to OMAFRA pre-sidedress nitrate testing (PSNT) survey results released this week, corn growers are looking at the lowest rates of available nitrogen since the survey began in 2013. In... Read More
From cold and wet, transitioning into too hot and dry, all in just one week in Ontario. How is that possible? RealAg agronomist Peter Johnson is just as baffled when it comes to the weather, as he discusses on this week's Word. Peter covers the latest in wheat, soybeans, corn, edible beans, forage management, and... Read More
The N-P-K conversation – nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium – is the focus of most corn nutrient management discussions. But is it time for the letter S (sulphur) to be a routine part of that conversation? In this edition of RealAgriculture Corn School, AGRIS Co-operative agronomist Dale Cowan is joined by crop sales specialist Mike Veenema to... Read More
Less than ideal conditions have slowed down canola development and left the crop vulnerable to tiny 2.5 millimetre beetles in some areas this spring. Flea beetles are the number one pest in canola on the Western Canadian Prairies. In this Canola School episode, we talk with Tyler Wist, entomologist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in... Read More
Four and a half years after unveiling its first canola variety in Canada, Syngenta has decided to change its course and leave the canola seed business in Canada. The company confirmed the decision in a statement shared with Real Agriculture: "We regularly evaluate all aspects of our business. As part of these activities, we have... Read More