Ontario’s winter wheat crop is growing like gangbusters thanks to unseasonably warm fall temperatures. But could it grow too much? “No way,” says agronomist Peter Johnson in Real Agriculture’s latest Wheat School episode. “The only thing we have to worry about is if it’s still growing on Christmas Eve, like last year.” In that case... Read More
Category: Crop Schools
Ontario’s corn crop is showing high vomitoxin levels and growers are being urged to harvest as quickly as possible to preserve corn quality. Last week, the OMAFRA Field Crops team revealed that 26% of the samples taken in its annual vomitoxin survey had DON concentrations of 2.0 ppm or greater. At these levels, vomitoxin produced... Read More
It all comes down to more acres per day for John Deere’s new F4365 high capacity nutrient applicator. At the recent Farm Progress Show in Boone, Iowa, John Deere product manager Jason Beuligmann showcased the new, 330-cubic-feet dry spinner spreader. He explained that the company’s engineers had two goals in mind for the design –... Read More
Did you know in-bred(parent) corn lines are short wee things? And that gibberella genetic resistance is a multi-gene trait? If ever you've been curious as to where hybrid corn lines originate, this latest Corn School is for you. RealAgriculture's Lyndsey Smith visited Ottawa's Central Experimental Farm to meet with Dr. Lana Reid, corn breeder for... Read More
A wet harvest has left farmers in many areas of Western Canada considering options for addressing soil compaction. One of the options that's seen increased interest in recent years is the use of cover crops, specifically radishes, to break up root-restricting compacted soil. "Radishes are a cover crop that are being sold specifically for compaction... Read More
Georgia cash cropper Randy Dowdy has been farming for less than ten years. In that time he has broken the world record for corn yield, and now he’s laid claim to the soybean yield record. Earlier this month Dowdy’s record 171.8 bushel/acre soybean yield was celebrated at a press conference hosted by the University of... Read More
As summer turns to fall in Ontario, the drought conditions that parched corn crops across the province has been replaced by high moisture and high humidity with continued sunshine. That doesn’t bode well for grain quality as harvest approaches, says Pride Market Agronomist Ken Currah. In this episode of Real Agriculture Corn School, Currah looks... Read More
Drought conditions in Ontario could slow harvest in some soybean fields this fall where plants suffer from Green Stem Syndrome. In this edition of Real Agriculture Soybean School, Pride Seeds market agronomist Dan Foster explains Green Stem Syndrome happens when there is partial or complete leaf drop but the soybean plant stem remains green. “The... Read More
Wet conditions at harvest inevitably result in a mess, as heavy combines and grain carts leave their mark in the soft soil. With above normal rainfall extending into harvest in parts of Western Canada, we're seeing some deep ruts and serious compaction from harvest equipment. "That wheel traffic compaction can go as deep as three... Read More
It’s been four years since Todd Boughner of Judge Farms took the plunge and installed 67 acres of subsurface drip irrigation on a sandy soiled farm near Delhi, Ontario. When Real Agriculture first visited the project, Boughner, the farm manager, was busy working with a crew to install drip tape across the entire field in... Read More