When it comes to weed control in soybeans, it's always best to start clean and stay clean. But when fieldwork and planting are delayed thanks to poor spring conditions, growers are often forced to plant now and spray later. That's the situation many Ontario growers have experienced in 2024 as wet spring conditions dictated that... Read More
Category: Agronomy
The latest Saskatchewan crop report, dated May 30th, shows farmers have made significant seeding progress. According to the report, 77 per of seeding is now complete, though this remains behind the five-year average of 91 per cent and the ten-year average of 89 percent. Despite these figures, crop emergence is reported to be in excellent... Read More
Federal Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay has announced just over $8 million in funding for small acreage crop research under the five-year Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership framework. The new Diverse Field Crops Cluster will focus on crops mainly grown in Western Canada, including camelina, carinata, flax, mustard, and sunflowers, and will be administered by Ag-West Bio... Read More
It's a long one! Peter Johnson has lots to say on this episode of Wheat Pete's Word. It starts with road safety. Be careful out there, especially when turning with traffic behind you. Planting is finishing up for many in Ontario, but some growers just can't seem to catch a break and miss the rain;... Read More
There are plenty of weedy corn fields across Ontario as a planting season with weather-induced stops and starts has some growers struggling to get crop in the ground and also stay ahead of the weeds. Getting the jump on those weeds, especially in fields relying on post-emergent herbicide programs is critical, says University of Guelph... Read More
While it is well understood that beneficial insects are an important factor in crop pest management, there has been little research into how aware farmers are of the insects that contribute to successful harvests. Beneficial species such as lady beetles, lacewings and ground beetles can help reduce the need to spray and can be hard... Read More
Planting across Ontario is nearing completion in many regions, but excessive rain continues to stall progress in some areas, leaving farmers to contemplate switching intended corn acres to soybeans. It's a decision that has significant cropping implications, says RealAgriculture agronomist Peter Johnson, and he wants growers to look at all the potential impacts before making... Read More
A plant growth regulator (PGR) can play a key role in helping growers manage the impact of lodging in spring and winter wheat crops. But growers have plenty of management decisions to consider to effectively use a PGR to reduce lodging, increase harvestability and protect and increase grain yield. Reducing lodging starts with selecting a... Read More
So many decisions that influence yield need to be made throughout the growing season, and it begins with the optimal seeding rate. As discussed in this Wheat School episode, seeding rate is a factor in tillering, tiller timing, and head size. The ideal seeding rate can also help with a smoother harvest and to time... Read More
There are lots of good things happening as heads emerge in Ontario winter wheat fields. There's plenty of potential but final yield will likely be determined by how the crop deals with the many stresses it could encounter between now and harvest. What role could biostimulants play in managing those stresses? Could this burgeoning category... Read More