Category: Crop Schools

Tremendous rains in Ontario this year, with more on the way, have resulted in "wet feet" for some soybean fields. When wet conditions persist, the soybean crop will start to struggle. To explain the science behind wet feet, Dr. Dave Hooker, field crop agronomist and associate professor at University of Guelph, joins Bernard Tobin for... Read More

While it's important to stay current on new and emerging diseases of the corn crop, it's still important to keep tabs on the old standbys, such as northern corn leaf blight. "We know the weather's been favourable for diseases, and we get lots of calls on that," says Alberta Tenuta, plant pathologist at OMAFRA. There's... Read More

It's been dry, windy, and hot across most of the Prairies this year, and an insect pest that you don't typically see attacking canola is thriving in these conditions. Lyle Jensen, agronomist at AgroPlus, joins Kara Oosterhuis for this Canola School episode where they discuss grasshopper pressures and options for control. "As we've basically been... Read More

Summer is generally a time when the pulse markets go through a bit of a lull, but it's always good to know what might happen in the markets come harvest. Chuck Penner of LeftField Commodity Research says that both farmers and buyers are sitting on the sidelines at this time of year, especially with widespread... Read More

Spray drift happens, but every spray operators goal should be to create as little drift as possible. So how can we combat it? Tom Wolf, founder of AgriMetrix and co-founder of Sprayers 101, joins Kara Oosterhuis for this Wheat School episode for a technical breakdown of spray drift, and tips for how to prevent it.... Read More

When it comes to strip tilling, is it better to plant corn into fall strips or spring strips? Ben Rosser, corn lead with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, has been working on this question for a while now, and in this Corn School episode, Bernard Tobin catches up with him in... Read More

Grain growers are reporting that bluegrass is becoming a growing weedy issue in many Ontario field crops. There are three types of weedy bluegrass species that are being found: annual bluegrass, rough-stalk bluegrass, and Canada bluegrass. As Mike Cowbrough, Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs weed specialist explains in this Wheat School episode,... Read More

Cabbage seedpod weevil can cause considerable yield loss to a canola and other brassica crops, such as mustard. As adults, the pest is three to four millimetres in length, is ash-grey in colour, and has a prominent curved snout, similar to other weevils. Meghan Vankosky, field crop entomologist at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Saskatoon, joins... Read More

What if corn, like soybeans, could fix its own nitrogen? It's a question agronomist Dale Cowan and his team at AGRIS Co-operative are tackling this summer as they test a biological product that promises to help corn plants fix nitrogen, when applied directly on the seed, in pop-up fertilizer, and through foliar application between the... Read More

Nitrogen and phosphorus fertilization is an important step in seeding a wheat crop and getting it off to the right start. However, over time fertilizer placed at the same depth can cause soil acidification. Initially set up in 1967, with various rotations and fertility treatments, long-term research plots were the basis for interesting research results... Read More