The application of “big data” in farming makes sense in theory. More data enables better decision-making, but at the individual farm level it can be difficult to accumulate a large enough sample size for actionable agronomic analysis. Variety XYZ performed well on one field last year, so should you grow more of that variety next... Read More
Category: Agronomy
Real Agriculture’s resident agronomist Peter Johnson has found yet another reason to grow wheat. In this episode of Wheat School, our intrepid WheatPete turns reporter as he interviews Dr. Tom Bruulsema, the International Plant Nutrition Institute’s Phosphorus Program Director, on how farmers can better manage phosphorus application by including wheat in the rotation. Bruulsema notes... Read More
Soybean Cyst nematode (SCN) was first identified in Ontario in 1998. Since then the pest has slowly and methodically trekked across the province and can now be found in most parts of Ontario. In this episode of Soybean School, Syngenta agronomist Shawn Brenneman and field biologist Marijke Van Andel discuss findings from a research survey... Read More
Individual nozzle control is becoming a reality, or at least an option, when it comes to applying pesticides with precision. Although they don’t have a major presence in Canada, Italian spraying technology manufacturer Arag has been selling its Seletron control system for several years. With individual nozzles that are automatically activated by a GPS-linked controller... Read More
This week’s Word starts off with comments and feedback from last week’s rant on tillage. Peter Johnson, resident agronomist for RealAgriculture and host of this weekly podcast, discusses tillage, late nitrogen on corn, and so much more. Have a question for Wheat Pete? Call 1-888-746-3311, send him a tweet (@wheatpete), or email him at peter.johnson@bell.net.... Read More
For most of us, seed testing is something to be done during or immediately after harvest, and right before seeding. But, there might be a reason or two to put the egg nog back in the fridge and hit the bins for a sample. For those relatively new to seed testing, Sydney Vos with BioVision... Read More
It’s been quite a year for Ontario corn growers. Of course there are always exceptions and not everybody is the benefactor of timely rains and optimal growing conditions, but for the most part 2015 produced an incredible corn crop that averaged better than 170 bushels per acre. In this episode of Corn School, Pride Seeds... Read More
The Canola Council of Canada's Curtis Rempel on some of the key take-aways from the 2015 growing season. A misleading start to the 2015 growing season had many canola producers hopeful of record-breaking crops. But, as we know, drought took hold of much of the prairies, and challenge ensued. Farmers were left wondering whether to... Read More
Myth Explosion: Fast is the best way to spray. In this Spray Tips Special Edition episode, Sprayers101.com Star Wars geeks Tom Wolf and Jason Deveau use The Force to explode yet another spray myth. It all starts a long time ago in a soybean field far, far away.... In an attempt to get more done... Read More
A short season soybean variety that helped drive Japanese demand for Ontario soybeans has been named the 2015 "Seed of the Year — East." Maple Glen was developed at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada's Plant Research Centre in Ottawa by Harvey Voldeng and Elroy Cober and released in 1987 as a food grade soybean variety. More... Read More