Tar spot leaf disease has been a little tardy in 2023, but the later-arriving yield robber is still having an impact on the Ontario corn crop. Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs plant pathologist Albert Tenuta says a dry start to the growing year meant tar spot arrived a little late in 2023... Read More
Category: Crop Schools
What if there was a way to boost the number of acres harvested in a day by 20 to 50 per cent while reducing fuel consumption by a similar amount? It may sound too good to be true, but that's been the experience of Darren Maddess after switching his New Holland combine from a conventional... Read More
Pulse crops are notoriously poor competitors against weeds due to their slow growth in the spring. This makes fall weed control essential for establishing a healthy pulse stand in the following year. According to Lyle Jensen of Agro Plus Inc., there are several key reasons why fall is the preferred time for weed control. First,... Read More
When soybean plants lodge, bad things happen. Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs soybean specialist Horst Bohner says growers are okay with the "power lean" — that's when pod-laden plants tilt slightly under the weight of their bean bounty. "But when they start to get close to the ground, and really lean over,... Read More
Seed corn harvest in southern Ontario typically gets underway in early September. Why so early? It's all about protecting seed quality, says PRIDE Seeds field production manager Mike Bechard. On this episode of the RealAgriculture Corn School, host Bernard Tobin returns to Chatham, Ont. for part three of our series on the critical points of... Read More
Farmers across Canada care deeply about their soil but Derek and Tannis Axten of Axten Farms take it to a whole other level. The Minton, Sask., farmers' commitment is is even written into their company's tagline — loyal to the soil. "The reason I like it is it kind of reminds us that everything we... Read More
As the growing season winds down, fall provides a critical opportunity for weed management — especially in those soybean fields that are a bit behind in the maturity game. As Ken Currah of BASF explains in our latest episode of the Soybean School, this time of the year the focus is going to be on... Read More
Pulse crops, for the most part, prefer drier conditions; however, the level of drought in some areas of the Prairies over the past few years has been too much for even them. Following multiple years of drought, it becomes more important for farmers to conduct soil tests ahead of planting pulse crops, such as lentils... Read More
Seven years ago, Chris Moore and Lyndsey Smith decided they needed more acres if they were going run a viable sheep farm. But rather than buy land, the partners opted to try their hand at solar grazing their Shady Creek Lamb flock at a solar power installation near their Kinburn, Ont., home farm. What started... Read More
When the year starts early and starts dry, producers and researchers alike get pretty excited about the year ahead for edible beans. That was the story for the Ontario crop until July, when torrential and frequent rainfall began over much of the growing region and continued through August. The result, explains University of Guelph associate... Read More