Cover crops can reduce erosion, improve soil health, recycle nutrients, and help suppress weeds, but achieving those benefits depends on one critical factor: biomass. While growers often focus on selecting the right species or cover crop mix, Washington State University extension agronomist Andrew McGuire, who is also senior extension fellow at WSU's Center for Sustaining... Read More
Category: Crop Schools
As soybean fields move into flowering, protecting yield potential shifts from weed control to disease management. Timing fungicide applications correctly is critical for managing white mould and other yield-robbing diseases, particularly in fields with dense canopies and a history of disease. In this episode of Soybean School, RealAgriculture's Bernard Tobin visits the BASF Maryhill Research... Read More
A strong-looking corn crop in late June can still lose yield if key stresses aren't managed through the reproductive period. As the crop moves toward tasselling and silking, growers should be paying close attention to nitrogen availability, disease pressure, and environmental conditions that can quickly reduce yield potential. In this episode of RealAgriculture Corn School,... Read More
Canada's cabbage seedpod weevil problem is no longer confined to southern Alberta, and that means many Prairie growers could be scouting for the insect for the first time this season. In this episode of RealAgriculture's Canola School, Keith Gabert, agronomy specialist with the Alberta Canola Producers Commission, says the pest's range has expanded dramatically over... Read More
What's the right fertility program for high-yield soybeans? That's the question Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness soybean specialist Horst Bohner is tackling through a series of fertility trials evaluating nitrogen, potassium, and sulphur across different tillage systems and planting dates. In this episode of RealAgriculture's Soybean School, Bohner tours the research plots at... Read More
No-till soybean growers are always looking for ways to improve seedbed conditions without disturbing the soil. In this episode of RealAgriculture's Soybean School, Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness soybean specialist Horst Bohner visits Lucknow, Ont., brothers Lawrence Hogan and Steve Howard to see how they use a modified 16-row row-clearing unit from Quebec-based... Read More
Can a pair of autonomous robots feed a corn crop exactly what it needs, when it needs it, while using less nitrogen and increasing yield? That's the question Brucelea Poultry field crops manager Mark McLean hopes to answer in a field-scale trial near Ripley, Ont., where two autonomous robots from Upside Robotics are managing nitrogen... Read More
Winter wheat growers may soon have a new tool for managing fertility, disease pressure, and weeds from above. While drones are already being used to apply fertilizer and seed cover crops, fungicide applications—and eventually herbicide applications—may not be far behind. Earlier this month, Health Canada issued an interim Letter of No Objection that opens the... Read More
A pulse crop battered by frost, excessive moisture, or extreme heat can look alarming, but appearance alone doesn't determine yield potential. In this episode of Pulse School, Mark Zatylny, agronomy manager with Saskatchewan Pulse Growers, discusses how peas, lentils, chickpeas, and faba beans respond to early-season stress and why growers should take a measured approach... Read More
Edible beans planted into strip tillage is still a rare sight in Ontario, but Thamesford grower Matt Langford is in year two of testing whether the system can help manage residue, stones, erosion, and harvest logistics on productive ground. In this episode of RealAgriculture’s Edible Bean School, host Bernard Tobin visits Langford to see how... Read More