How late am I still comfortable with putting this seed in the ground? With wet conditions holding things up, the optimal timeframe for seeding pulse crops, especially peas and fababeans, is getting tighter in parts of Saskatchewan and Alberta, leaving some growers asking themselves the above question. Peas, from a strictly maturity perspective, are quite... Read More
Category: Agronomy
Wet soil, cold nights, weeds, disease, and nitrogen needs are all converging at once – what’s a wheat grower to do? As Ontario’s cold, soggy spring continues, deciding what to do next with the winter wheat crop can be a challenge, especially as the need to plant corn and soybeans becomes more pressing. In this... Read More
With the cooler soil temperatures we've been seeing across Western Canada, unwanted pests are beginning to show up in some fields. Alberta Agriculture and Forestry Insect Management Specialist Scott Meers says that early on in the season we should be keeping our eyes out for stand establishment insects such as cutworms and wireworms. There have... Read More
I often think that when we discuss precision agriculture we tend to naturally focus on large broadacre-style farming across the U.S. Midwest corn belt, Ontario, and the western Canadian prairies. We don't seem to talk about how precision agriculture technology could create a difference in small-holder agriculture. Clearly, auto-steer is not something you must have... Read More
Horst Bohner estimates there are only several hundred acres of soybeans planted in Ontario and he’s OK with that. As rain continues to saturate soils across the province, the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs soybean specialist is reminding growers that it’s early for planting soybeans. In this episode of RealAgriculture’s Soybean School,... Read More
How much corn yield potential are you losing as the rain continues to fall across Ontario? As of May 5, you haven’t lost anything yet, but yield potential does start to diminish around May 10, says Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) corn specialist Ben Rosser. In this episode of RealAgriculture Corn... Read More
Planting and seeding (depending on your geography) is sort of underway across the country. The harvest of 2016 still lingers in some areas of northern and central Alberta and Saskatchewan. With rain hammering much of Ontario this week, planters getting going in Manitoba. Saskatchewan has more than its fair share of moisture, and around a... Read More
We're kicking off May with wet, wet weather both at home and south of the border, and not one but two alerts for very early disease detection in Ontario's Bruce and Essex Counties. Peter Johnson, your host of Wheat Pete's Word, also has cautions on using saved soybean seed from the 2016 crop, why you... Read More
Seeding and harvest are the two main pinch points for time on the farm. Many farmers have gone to wider implements, bigger carts, and huge tractors in an effort to cover the maximum amount of acres per day to make the most of an intense spring start. But going wider and adding capacity creates a... Read More
High moisture corn delivers the energy benefits of straight grain corn, with the added bonuses of not having to dry or flake it, potentially higher yields and higher available energy, and, frankly, lower risk of crop and harvest losses due to the shorter Western Canada growing season. "If you can put up quality silage, you... Read More