Do you plan on taking a nitrate-nitrogen soil samples this spring, before planting? The test for nitrate-nitrogen levels can provide key information in how much fertilizer should be applied for a growing corn crop. And, making that decision gets easier and easier. The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) has a handy... Read More
Category: Crop Schools
It's a disease that affects a number of significant crops in Canada, including vegetables, pulses, canola and even some forage species. And last year, some farmers saw particularly high levels of white mould in soybean crops across Ontario. Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, or white mold, makes its mark on plants in lesions that appear water-soaked; white, fluffy... Read More
Wheat production in the United Kingdom hovers just below 200, 000 hectares (about a half a million acres). It's used for export markets, human consumption, and plays a key role in animal rations. Thanks in large part to the UK's temperate climate, yields of 120bu/ac are not uncommon. And, as you'll find in the following... Read More
While wheat breeders have traditionally focused on improving agronomic and milling characteristics of the crop, there's value to be gained by the wheat industry in focusing on nutrition as well, says a cereal research scientist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. The nutritional characteristics of wheat have generally remained unchanged while yield potential, disease resistance and... Read More
It's too early to say how big a problem verticillium wilt could become for the Canadian canola industry, but it should be on the radar for growers, says the crop pathologist taking the lead on the new disease issue within Manitoba Agriculture. As reported by Real Ag last week, the first known case of Verticillium... Read More
The Ontario Corn Committee (OCC) is well known for its hybrid trials, which compare hybrids for yield potential in various regions across the province, but, thanks to grower input, this year might look a little different. 2011-2014 OCC Hybrid Corn Performance Database "The Ontario Corn Committee has decided that in 2015, we will begin a... Read More
Start clean, stay clean is a smart motto when it comes to corn and soybean fields, but what's the right amount of "clean" in relation to weed cover and yield potential? Dr. Peter Sikkema, professor of plant science with the University of Guelph — Ridgetown Campus, took to the field to answer that question. If,... Read More
"Neonicotinoids," "Colony Collapse Disorder," "Varroa," "Nosema"... Defining those colloquialisms (and others) was just one of the goals the Canola Council of Canada's Gregory Sekulic had in mind when he presented "Buzzwords about Bees" at the Farming Smarter Conference in Medicine Hat. Sekulic wanted to clear the air on jargon that so often exacerbates misunderstanding "We... Read More
Herbicide resistant wild oats are pretty easy to identify, says Neil Harker, a research scientist in weed ecology and crop management at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada's Lacombe Research Centre. "You generally see them in patches. If you see [wild oats] in real straight lines, then you suspect a sprayer error, but if you just see... Read More
Peter Johnson, cereal specialist with Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, will be moving on after February 4, a day that marks 30 years with the ministry. But, it doesn't sound like Johnson will be retiring from agriculture any time soon. "We have to get back to that thought process of protecting the... Read More