With corn planting season around the corner, the annual routine of getting planting units ready for a new growing season is well underway. The planter setup and calibration process should account for the size of corn seed going through the planter, notes Dieter Schwarz of Pride Seeds in this latest Corn School episode. "Look at... Read More
Category: Crop Schools
Do you manage your corn crop differently, based on whether or not you'll be using a fungicide or topped-up nitrogen rates? That may end up being a new recommendation, as research is beginning to offer clues on how each input works with the other — sometimes providing not just additive benefits, but synergistic ones (think:... Read More
Tough conditions last fall resulted in fewer acres of wheat being planted than planned in Ontario. Some of those fields could end up defaulting back to soybeans for 2015. In this Soybean School episode, Dave Hooker, field crop agronomist and assistant professor at the University of Guelph-Ridgetown, and Bernard Tobin discuss the implications of back-to-back... Read More
Rotation is generally a critical part of mitigating any disease resistance problem. When it comes to preventing the breakdown of resistance in blackleg-resistant canola varieties, the first line of defence is an extended crop rotation with non-host crops. Beyond that, growers can also rotate the canola varieties they're growing, suggests Anastasia Kubinec, oilseed specialist with... Read More
The value of a load of canola delivered to an elevator can vary by a few hundred dollars depending on the sieve used by the elevator to determine dockage. According to the Official Grain Grading Guide, an elevator can choose between five different slotted sieves, with slots ranging in size from 0.028 to 0.040 of... Read More
"When the land is dry, it's no longer about planning, it's about execution — it's our Super Bowl." That's a quote from Pride Seeds' Ken Currah, who caught up with Bernard Tobin for the above Corn School. Currah and Tobin, sheltered from the rain, discussed the importance of preparing for seeding, and having a... Read More
Responding to demands from both the Canadian wheat industry and international customers, the Canadian Grain Commission has proposed creating a new class of milling wheat for Western Canada. As part of this Wheat School West episode, Daryl Beswitherick, program manager for quality assurance with the CGC, explains they believe the creation of a new milling... Read More
Millions of dollars are invested in managing a crop before it's in the bin, and that management doesn't stop just because it's in storage. Sensors that monitor temperature and moisture levels inside a bin are important tools for maintaining the value of a stored crop, notes Joy Agnew of the Prairie Agricultural Machinery Institute at... Read More
Brassicogethes aeneus, commonly referred to as the pollen beetle and formerly known as Meligethes aeneus, is a major pest of canola in countries like Scandinavia, and, is now present in eastern Canada. And, though they are not yet a problem in western Canada, entomologists are suggesting we become familiar with what to look for. "One... Read More
While soybean breeders have focused on boosting top-end yield, they've also made the crop more resilient in situations with thin plant stands. Speaking at the CropConnect Conference in Winnipeg last month, Shaun Conley of the University of Wisconsin discussed the "phenotypic plasticity" of soybeans, or the crop's ability to compensate for lower plant populations. "It's... Read More