The time is coming when farmers will check an in-field diagnostic tool for presence of a disease or insect and know it's time to apply a crop protection product. We're not exactly there yet, but sensor technology and apps are advancing to the point where it's possible to get diagnostics on a field-by-field basis. One... Read More
Category: Crop Schools
When out walking corn fields, growers will often come across what look like branches off of the main stalk of the plants. Tillers can be found on many grass plants, and while being an essential part of other crops, producers often do not know what to make of seeing them in their corn crop. In... Read More
Nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorous move quite differently though the soil, and understanding how they travel is key to helping growers choose the best application strategies. Phosphorous, for example, tends to be more like a tortoise, moving slowly and methodically. Nitrogen, on the other hand, is the hare, racing quickly through the plant root... Read More
To pulse producers, grasshoppers represent both a significant challenge and a potential threat. With last year being hot and dry across the Prairies, growers are wondering what the current growing season will hold for these resilient crop consumers. Farmers and agronomists alike hope that the cool, wet spring might keep pulse crops safe from the... Read More
Proper staging is important for understanding how to scout and manage corn, whether for timing fertilizer, herbicide, insecticide or fungicide applications. It's also critical for understanding plant development, and how stressors at different stages can affect results, including yield, cob size, and kernel weight. But the problem is there are multiple ways to measure corn's... Read More
The beast is back! Ontario's winter wheat crop has high yield potential but there are also high levels of yield robbing fusarium in fields in some regions of the province. Real Agriculture agronomist Peter 'Wheat Pete' Johnson says it's not as bad as 1996 when fusarium decimated the provincial winter wheat crop, but growers will... Read More
Work for the growing season doesn't end with seeding. Soon after, it's important to be out doing early season scouting in order to mitigate potential issues. There are two main things that a producer is looking for when early season scouting: one is to measure the success of the seeding operation, including how many plants... Read More
When fungicides are effectively applied to protect soybean plants growers can expect to see more uniform and bigger seed size when the combine rolls through fields at harvest. On this episode of the RealAgriculture Soybean School, BASF Canada agronomist Ken Currah says growers can harvest heavier and denser seed, which produces extra bushels, when they... Read More
Rainy weather during the in-crop weed control season can make it difficult to give corn want it wants to maintain maximum yield potential: that long critical weed-free period. The difference between fields that received pre-emerge applications and those that did not is quite noticeable in southern Manitoba (and many other areas) this year, as regular... Read More
When a detrimental fungus can travel as far and fast as stripe rust can, it is well worth being vigilant about. With susceptible varieties of wheat, this damaging crop disease can impact yields by anywhere between 50 to 90 per cent. Agronomists in southern Manitoba have identified the disease in wheat fields this week. In... Read More