It's worrisome, though not terribly surprising, that Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Development (MAFRD) announced today confirmed glyphosate resistant kochia biotypes were found in the province. MAFRD jointly conducted a kochia survey across Manitoba in the fall of 2013, in conjunction with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (the Saskatoon Research Centre) and the University of Manitoba,... Read More
Category: Agronomy
In this episode of the Corn School, Bernard Tobin and OMAF Corn Lead Greg Stewart turn to a chalkboard to draw up some nitrogen strategies for the 2014 corn crop. Throughout the winter meeting season, Stewart touted a split application approach to nitrogen. He recommends growers put down 100 lb of nitrogen pre-plant and then... Read More
As the snow retreats (quickly now, get on with you), it's time to get out there and take a good look at the winter wheat stand. There is such thing as doing a winterkill evaluation too early, but, depending on the method you use, you could need up to two weeks to get a good... Read More
A pre-seed burn down is often the first pass on a field. Some may overlook the importance of getting a strong burn-down, but in reality it can be a huge detriment if some components get overlooked. And if you're going to do a job, you should do it well. Why does a pre-seed burn-down matter?... Read More
It's early April and farmers are itching to get the planter out in the field. For the precious few of you in Ontario that are nearly ready to roll, have at 'er, but for most of the corn growing region, it's not late yet, but it's looking like the planting window may be slightly compressed.... Read More
Despite efforts to explain pesticides’ role in modern agriculture, confusion still reigns supreme in the eyes of the public. And no wonder. Pesticides get blamed for a lot of things; most recently, for wiping out bees. That accusation caught the Province of Ontario's attention last summer and fall, when wildly fluctuating accounts of bee mortality... Read More
If you're overwhelmed by trying to keep track of every new crop protection product, formulation, tank-mix and re-cropping restriction, you're not alone. While many farmers and agronomists have a well-marked-up copy of the Guide to Crop Protection, could there be a place for technology to make selecting crop production products easier? Absolutely! Enter Ag-Chem Expert.... Read More
Are you seeding your canola at 5lb/ac? Unless your seed rate was calculated based on that seed lot's thousand kernel weight (TKW), you may be losing yield potential, as plant numbers decline with increasing seed size. Angela Brackenreed, agronomy specialist with the Canola Council of Canada, suggests re-calibrating when the TKW of a seed lot... Read More
Whether you've recently purchased a planter, or you're bringing it out of hibernation, making sure it's in good working order is essential to good establishment. Besides greasing, checking hydraulic hoses and vacuuming mouse-made nests, you should also check that the planter is running level, and with the correct amount of down pressure. Related: The Pros... Read More
As the snow finally melts in Ontario, cash crop farmers have a lot to do in a short window. There's still plenty of corn out there and lots of unfinished tillage work. In this episode of the Ontario Agronomy Geeks podcast, Bernard Tobin talks strategy with agronomist Mervyn Erb of Agri-Solve Inc. — what should... Read More