Category: Crop Schools

Soil test results from across North America show levels of several key crop nutrients are generally trending lower — a sign that nutrient removal rates are exceeding the replacement of those macronutrients, potentially limiting crop yields. For example, 46 per cent of soil samples from across North America tested below the critical level of phosphorus... Read More

Pulses are well known for their ability to fix their own nitrogen in-crop, but some farmers choose to add starter nitrogen at seeding. Is it worth it? While pulses have the ability to fix their own nitrogen, they may need a little help at the start of the year to bridge the gap between seed... Read More

Soybean cyst nematode is the number one robber of soybean yield in fields across Ontario. In many instances, growers don't realize the pest is impacting yield because the damage is done underground as parasitic nematodes feed and reproduce on soybean roots and interfere with the plant's uptake of water and nutrients. On this episode of... Read More

Like most crops, a strong, high yielding corn crop depends on what nutrients are in the soil. Knowing what is currently in the field is key to deciding how much of what to add in. With corn being a such a big, high-yielding plant, this crop is particularly reliant on a high amount of nitrogen,... Read More

There are so many agronomic decisions to make when growing canola, and those decisions don't stop even as the season comes to a close with combines ready to roll. As Ian Epp, agronomist with the Canola Council of Canada explains in this Canola School, farmers have several options to consider when staging for pre-harvest applications... Read More

Corn plants need boron throughout the growing season. The uptake curve for the micronutrient is pretty linear from emergence to black layer, but making boron available in the ear later in the season, where it plays an important role in sugar movement and developing kernels, can be difficult. The challenge, says AGRIS Co-operative senior agronomist... Read More

How to create and maintain healthy soils has been a topic of conversation and data collection for at least the past 40 years. In that time, a growing movement of farmers and ranchers have been shifting their practices to make use of the impact that livestock can have on the soil beneath their hooves. One... Read More

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

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