The 2015 soybean crop has had its share of issues. From a late May frost that had many farmers replanting, to wet conditions that prevented replanting or late planting, and some zero-till beans that really struggled to get through heavy residue, it's no wonder this crop is variable at best. While the window for most... Read More
Category: Crop Schools
We're into the thick of the corn growing season, where you finally get to start seeing the real result of all the hard work that's gone into this crop before now. The 2015 season has been a trying one for many Ontario growers as a great planting season gave way to too little, then too... Read More
Phosphorus deficiency is a common problem with corn planted into a rotation following canola. In its early stages, corn relies on mycorrhizae to help with the majority of phosphorus uptake. The trouble with corn following canola is that canola and other crucifer plants are not hosts for micorrhizae, so the beneficial fungi populations must be... Read More
Hot conditions can have an impact on both yield and quality in canola, making timing more important when swathing or straight-cutting the crop. Much of Western Canada has experienced a mid-August heat wave, with fields maturing rapidly in the heat. For canola, this means the time to cut can sneak up quickly. In this Canola... Read More
Heterodera glycines or soybean cyst nematode (SCN) was first identified in Ontario in 1987, after over 30 years in North America. It's original introduction is believed to have occured in the late 1800s, when settlers brought soil from Asia to supply the proper bacteria for soybean root nodulation. "Of the ten major diseases of soybeans... Read More
Soybeans are serious consumers of phosphorus, so it seems logical that supplying P fertilizer would be important for maximizing soybean yields, right? That's wrong, at least in the short-term, according to research results in southern Manitoba. Researchers from the University of Manitoba and Manitoba Agriculture are comparing how soybeans respond to three rates of P2O5... Read More
The canola industry has been among the most vocal advocates of Canada being part of a possible Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal. So what's in it for canola growers? According to industry estimates, canola exports could grow by $780 million if tariffs on Canadian canola oil and meal were eliminated across the TPP region. For this... Read More
Ask three farmers what the best row spacing is for soybeans and you might get three different answers, but in most soybean growing areas there's been a trend back toward wider rows. As part of this Soybean School episode, Horst Bohner, soybean specialist with Ontario's Ministry of Agriculture and RealAg's Bernard Tobin discuss the driving... Read More
Not all wheat varieties are created equally when it comes to the amount of phosphorus they remove from the soil. Some varieties are efficient, while others are phosphorus hogs, explains Jay Goos, soil scientist at North Dakota State University, in this instalment of the Wheat School. So why does this matter? "The reasons I'm concerned... Read More
Preliminary research conducted in southern Manitoba is casting some doubt on the common belief that dark, tilled soil is best for planting soybeans in northern growing regions. Greg Bartley, a graduate student working together with Dr. Yvonne Lawley at the University of Manitoba, is in his second year of comparing how soybeans respond when planted... Read More