Category: Crop Schools

When it comes to planting soybeans, and especially in dry conditions, depth can play an important role in setting the crop up for success. Some farmers stay at the one to one and half inch depth, while others may be betting on two and a half or even three inches to chase moisture. In this... Read More

Larry Dyck is trying to make tough soil a little less tough. It may sound like a simple objective, but it's been a 40 year journey for the cash cropper, who operates Campden Grain with his son Ben, near Campden on Ontario's Niagara peninsula. Dyck, a member of the Ontario Soil Network, first started no-tilling... Read More

Does it pay to invest in weed control in a dry year? When soil moisture is scarce, one way to help conserve it is to prevent weeds – they can rob the precious resource from emerging and growing plants. On this episode of RealAgriculture's Soybean School, we travel to the BASF research and development site... Read More

Using clubroot resistant genetics and lengthening rotations are highly recommended practices for managing clubroot on the Prairies. But is there more farmers could do? "Ninety per cent of those clubroot spores can die with a two-year break, so one in three rotation, that's really critical, if you have a shorter rotation than that, and you're... Read More

Corn is often described as a diva. It can thrive in the right conditions, but it does not like competition. That's especially evident when corn plants have to compete with weeds for moisture in dry conditions, as seen in Western Canada and the Northern Plains of the U.S. in 2021. "There have been many studies... Read More

Whether undercutting or direct harvesting edible beans, a pre-harvest application of a desiccant can allow for a quicker harvest, while protecting yield and quality. Proper desiccation timing is critical for maximizing the crop's potential, explains Calem Alexander, field marketer with Hensall Co-op, in this Edible Bean School episode focused on setting the crop up for... Read More

Wheat stem sawfly is thought to be native to parts of the southern Prairie provinces, and forecasting maps show that the pest is certainly present this year. "This is the time of the year where we're starting to see some of those wheat stems topple over from wheat stem sawfly," says Jeremy Boychyn, agronomy research... Read More

The PRIDE Seeds Education Centre is into its second year, and Matt Chapple, agronomist with PRIDE Seeds, says it's like his sandbox — where the company can do studies and demonstrations, look at different genetics, or trial different practices that can improve yields. In this Soybean School episode, Bernard Tobin joins Chapple in his "sandbox"... Read More

A lack of late-season nitrogen and denitrification has been a concern this year, which is causing less than optimal growth in corn crops in parts of Ontario. Matt Chapple, market agronomist at PRIDE Seeds, has been getting plenty of calls this growing season about the issue, and in this Corn School episode, Bernard Tobin joins... Read More

Adequate root nodulation is critical for filling soybean pods with seed, as there's a strong correlation between the number of nodules on soybean plants' roots and yield. But in a dry year, the number of nodules might not matter quite as much, as soybeans can compensate for reduced nodulation by producing larger nodules. As part... Read More