As a growing season comes to a close, farmers are eager to clear off the fields and load up the bins, but it's important not to rush through equipment set up, as machinery settings can make a big difference in final yield if not adjusted for crop conditions. With three to four bushel per acre... Read More
Category: Crop Schools
Potassium deficiency can cost soybean growers as much as five to seven bushels per acre if the levels of the key nutrient sink below critical values. If farm fields show a deficit, how much potash should be broadcast to maintain yield? Is that rate safe for the plant and economical for the grower? Those are... Read More
Integrating pulses into a cropping rotation can be a great way to break pest and disease cycles, improve soil fertility, and diversify farm income while reducing fertilizer costs. Peas and lentils are a common sight in the western Canadian Prairie pulse growing regions, however the smaller-acreage faba beans and even lupins offer farmers new options... Read More
As farmers across the country are eager to see their hard-earned canola crop augered into bins, it is already time to start planning for the next growing season. Ordering seed is often where next year's management decisions begin, and the decisions around which resistance package to choose can seem daunting. A large part of deciding... Read More
New herbicide tolerant technology such as Enlist and Xtend soybean systems have helped solve significant management challenges, especially when it comes to tackling glyphosate resistant Canada fleabane and waterhemp. But Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness weed specialist Mike Cowbrough says farmers need to be vigilant when scouting their crops because "nature abhors a... Read More
With an average of over 20 million seeded acres, canola is one of Canada's most widely grown crops. Used for cooking oil, processing foods, biofuel and protein for both animal feed and human consumption, it's safe to say that it's important to keep this vital crop protected from diseases such as clubroot, a disease that... Read More
One of the most common sources of conversation among farmers is the weather. This makes sense, as growers' livelihoods often depend on the balance between too hot or cold, too wet or too dry. Monitoring environmental conditions throughout the growing season can help growers the necessary decisions that impact final yield. Weather stations are one... Read More
After a mild winter, many growers and agronomists had to tackle some very large dandelions during the 2024 growing season. On this episode of the RealAgriculture Corn School, Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Farming and Agribusiness weed management specialist Mike Cowbrough shares best practices to control the pesky perennial broadleaf weed. "First of all, it's always... Read More
The list of herbicides that are losing their effectiveness against kochia is growing, leaving fewer tools to control the rapidly-evolving tumbleweed in soybeans. As of 2024, kochia populations in the Canadian Prairies/Northern U.S. Plains region have shown resistance to herbicides in Groups 2, 4, 5, 9, and 14, with some plants showing combined resistance to... Read More
In 1996, fusarium devastated the Ontario wheat crop. More than 90 percent of the crop was downgraded to feed, or sample, or simply dumped in the bush thanks to high deoxynivalenol (DON) levels. In 2024, fusarium was back in Ontario fields, but the crop, with help from improved genetic resistance and improved fungicides, was much... Read More