Category: Crop Schools

There were plenty of lessons to be learned about growing faba beans in 2015, as the number of acres covered by crop insurance in Saskatchewan tripled from just under 20 thousand in 2014 to around 60 thousand last year. "When you increase acres, there are definitely things we gain more information on," notes Sherrilyn Phelps,... Read More

Wide row soybeans are poised to make a comeback in Ontario, says OMAFRA soybean specialist Horst Bohner. Whether it happens will likely depend on how farmers evaluate the importance of four key factors. Speaking at the recent SouthWest Agricultural Conference at Ridgetown College, Bohner explained that equipment is the first thing to consider. “We have... Read More

How do specific corn hybrids respond to intensive management practices? Do they deliver higher yields? Are those extra bushels profitable for growers? Those are some of the questions the Ontario Corn Committee (OCC) is trying to answer with its new intensive management corn trials. At the SouthWest Agricultural Conference in early January, OCC’s Dr. David... Read More

So you're looking to apply some late nitrogen to boost wheat protein. The recommended timing is immediately after anthesis, just a few days after applying fungicide to protect the head against fusarium head blight. Would it work to combine...? Don't even think about it, says Dave Franzen, soil specialist at North Dakota State University. "To... Read More

If farmers want to supersize their corn yields, they have to challenge conventional thinking and become students of the crop. That was the main message National Corn Growers Association yield contest champion Randy Dowdy shared with hundreds of farmers at the 2016 SouthWest Agricultural Conference in Ridgetown, Ontario earlier this week. In 2014, Dowdy set... Read More

7 to 10 plants per square foot is still the target plant population when seeding canola. That hasn't changed, but some of the practices used and the way we think about achieving an ideal plant stand might need to be re-evaluated. For example, research has shown that stand establishment is generally higher with a lower... Read More

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

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

Pea prices in Western Canada are at record levels and showing no signs of weakness, largely due to the pulse crop shortage in India. Old crop yellow peas are fetching spot bids over $11/bu while contracts for 2016 are in the $9.50 to $10/bu range (most with Act of God clauses). "At this stage of... Read More