Making the most of every input dollar matters, especially when crop prices are in the doldrums, but cutting back on fertilizer can end up curtailing yield. There's a better way to manage those nitrogen input dollars! For this episode of The Agronomists, host Lyndsey Smith is joined by soil scientist John Heard, and senior agronomist... Read More
Category: Agronomy
Tar spot was first confirmed in Ontario at Ridgetown in the southwest corner of the province in 2020. Since then, the corn leaf disease has spread across Ontario, pushing east past Toronto and into Quebec. Many Ontario farmers experienced the yield robber in their fields for the first time in 2024 and the disease is... Read More
Knowing the nutrient status of a crop and the soil it is grown in can give a producer vital information for making management decisions throughout the season. Whereas traditionally growers would take plant tissue and soil samples from their fields to send to a lab for testing, ATP Nutrition has developed a diagnostic tool that... Read More
Weather is a central topic in many coffee shop conversations, plays a large role in the success or failure of a crop, and is outside of a wheat grower's control. But that doesn't mean farmers can't at least try and out-maneuver Mother Nature. Dr. Brian Beres, senior research scientist at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC)... Read More
The idea that tractors used in broadacre farming may have peaked in size and will someday be replaced by groups of smaller, autonomous machines has been kicking around for at least a decade. In theory, there's certainly still a case to be made for smaller machines that cost less and reduce soil compaction, while having... Read More
Peter “Wheat Pete” Johnson brought home more than just a tan from Costa Rica; there were lessons to be learned, even while enjoying a rejuvenating vacation. In this episode of Wheat Pete's Word, Pete talks about some of these lessons, such as the need for a break, the difference that climate can make, Canadian pride,... Read More
New Holland is billing its new sprayer automation offering as the most versatile and productive 'sense and act' technology on the market. Both New Holland and Case IH unveiled their versions of the live variable rate and selective spray application technology at the Commodity Classic in Denver, Colorado. In this report, New Holland director of... Read More
Dr. Isabelle Aicklen has been named the new Ontario Bean Growers (OBG) professor in weed management at the University of Guelph’s Ontario Agricultural College (OAC). Based at the University's Ridgetown College campus, Aicklen brings a wealth of experience to the role, the university says. She completed her BSc and Ph.D. at the University of Guelph,... Read More
Why does soil, sometimes, become hard as a brick? The answer is relatively straight-forward but remedying the issue is a much, much larger discussion. To begin to understand the soil dynamics and what to do about them, this episode of The Agronomists features Jodi DeJong-Hughes with the University of Minnesota and Dr. Laura Van Eerd... Read More
Clubroot disease is not only spreading, but also adapting in real-time, as the number of confirmed versions of the soilborne disease that reduces canola yields in Western Canada has climbed to 55 as of this winter. "The growing season in 2024 was quite good for the clubroot disease itself. There were quite a few new... Read More