It turns out spring cereal yields in Ontario, on average, were better than expected, as RealAg Agronomist Peter Johnson highlights in this week's Word. From celebrating the 108 percent of average barley crop, to lamenting the lack of farmer-submitted fungicide plot results, to weird symptoms showing up in wheat, Peter covers a whole host of... Read More
Category: Agronomy
There's no long-term trend talk of any agriculture commodity sector, it seems, that doesn't include at least some reference to China. After all, it's not just a populous country, it's a huge economic driver and consumer of Canadian agriculture products. Imagine, then, what it would mean to have the Chinese market closed, a market worth... Read More
How much yield can you expect from double-cropped soybeans? In 2016, harvested yields from across Ontario have ranged from 25 to 45 bushels per acre. In the final episode of our Soybean School series on double cropping, Real Agriculture agronomist Peter Johnson and Syngenta agronomist Eric Richter return to Embro, Ontario, farmer Ian Matheson’s field... Read More
SPONSORED CONTENT What a year 2016 has been. Maintaining the quality of this crop through tough summer conditions and the epic harvest weather setbacks has proven to be a major challenge. In this episode of the Growing Series Podcast sponsored by Cargill, we get the facts on quality, how it will impact marketing, and then... Read More
The struggle to get the crop off in wet conditions has left its scars on fields across parts of Western Canada, leaving farmers with tough decisions on how to manage ruts and soil compaction. A deep ripper or subsoiler might have a fit in helping fix the damage, says a biosystems engineering professor from the... Read More
As if canola harvest hasn't been hard enough with all the snow and rain, the work won't end when this crop enters the bin. It's going to require some babysitting. "Number one when you're taking off tough grain like this is it's not 'put it away and forget it'. It's a 24-hour job type of... Read More
In a perfect world, winter wheat growers would apply a pre-plant weed control application to tackle winter annual and perennial weeds. But it doesn’t always work out that way. In this episode of Real Agriculture’s Wheat School, OMAFRA weed management specialist Mike Cowbrough takes a look at weed control options for producers who didn’t have... Read More
Despite a tough year, there are reports of Ontario elevators running at full capacity or right full. Some farmers are reporting a record wheat and soybean year, which explains the full delivery points, but as harvest winds down many farmers will be happy with average, at best. That's where we start with this week's Wheat... Read More
As canola seed prices have risen, farmers across the prairies have cut back on the amount of seed they're putting in the ground. The Canola Council of Canada still recommends aiming for 7 to 10 plants per square foot with uniform emergence and spacing, but many farms have been targeting lower plant stands — in... Read More
Soil preservation is gaining seatbelt and sugarless gum status in our society. It’s simply no longer optional. Some soil advocates are now calling for every agricultural grant application to have a tick box explaining how the proposed project exercises best soil management practices. No doubt, pressure is mounting to acknowledge the unparalleled role those first... Read More