You can learn a lot about what makes a good soybean variety in 27 years. That's how long Dr. Istvan Rajcan has been breeding soybeans at the University of Guelph. For the past 10 years, Rajcan has focused his breeding efforts on developing new high-yielding and high-quality disease resistant cultivars for the short- and medium-season... Read More
Category: Crop Schools
How much more resilient and productive are soils with higher organic matter content? A quick review of available research and a look at farm fields paints a pretty clear picture of the power of soil organic matter, says University of Minnesota soil extension specialist Jodi DeJong-Hughes. On this episode of the RealAgriculture Soil School, DeJong-Hughes... Read More
Effective scouting and timely decision-making remain the foundation of managing insect pests in canola, particularly when it comes to bertha armyworm and cabbage seedpod weevil. In this episode of the Canola School, recorded at Canola Week in Saskatoon, RealAgriculture’s Amber Bell spoke with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada research scientist Meghan Vankosky about how growers can... Read More
A clean start remains one of the most important steps in a canola production plan, and for many growers that begins with a timely pre-seed herbicide application. In west-central Saskatchewan, Carl deConinck Smith says taking out early flushes of weeds protects valuable soil moisture and nutrients while setting the stage for a more efficient in-crop... Read More
Corn leaf diseases love wet weather, but regardless of the environmental conditions there are always one or two disease pathogens that will thrive during the summer months. On this episode of the RealAgriculture Corn School, Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness plant pathologist Albert Tenuta shines the spotlight on five of the most common... Read More
Whether growers are using commercial fertilizer, manure, compost or industrial sources — they need to know what’s in that fertilizer source to determine the right application rates for crops. On this episode of the RealAgriculture Soil School, Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness soil fertility specialist Colin Elgie looks at why it's critical for... Read More
From blackleg to sclerotinia,to clubroot and verticillium, growers face a shifting landscape of canola diseases, and with that comes a steady stream of questions about when to scout, what to spray, and how to choose the right genetics. In this episode of RealAgriculture's Canola School, Keith Gabert, provincial canola agronomy specialist with Alberta Canola Producers... Read More
When Ryan and Romy Schill purchased Ryan's grandfather's farm at Mapleton, Ont., in 2008, the young couple decided to add 25 ewes to round out their mixed operation, which also included cattle, hogs, and chickens. The Schills admit that the ewes were simply a side project at the time but 18 years later they've built... Read More
Traditional plant breeding is still the foundation of bean variety development, but the ability to analyze massive amounts of data is revolutionizing how new varieties are identified and developed to meet grower and market needs. On this episode of RealAgriculture Edible Bean School, University of Guelph assistant professor Dr. Mohsen Yoosefzadeh Najafabadi shares how new... Read More
The canola market is dealing with a wide range of trade and political uncertainties this season, as growers navigate large supplies in Western Canada and slower movement into export and crush channels. Tariffs on seed, oil, and meal going into China, along with unclear U.S. biofuel policies, are creating added volatility at a time when... Read More