If the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry was looking for a grade on its soil health report, Jim Tokarchuk would give them an A+. Tokarchuk is the executive director for the Soil Conservation Council of Canada, and he appreciates that the Senate committee did an excellent job in covering the issue with a Canadian... Read More
Category: Crop Production
Once peas have emerged and get growing, it's time to scout for pea leaf weevil feeding. Feeding by adult pea leaf weevils creates notches on the clam shell leaves, but it's the damage done by larvae feeding on the roots that causes economic losses in pea crops. Pea leaf weevil is not an issue in... Read More
As cereal crops race to the finish line across Ontario, many growers are weighing the option of planting soybeans after a first harvest, which is already underway in some winter barley fields in southwestern portions of the province. Embro, Ont., farmer Ian Matheson and his family have been double cropping soybeans for two decades. He... Read More
If you put your feet in the oven and your head in the freezer, on average, you're at a perfect temperature. This week, Ontario is an oven and Western Canada is an icebox, and both extremes create challenges for farmers. There are plenty of questions about spraying in these hot conditions, and some winter crops... Read More
Today at Canada's Farm Show, Farm Credit Canada announced a $5 million commitment to the accelerated breeding program at the Global Institute for Food Security (GIFS) at the University of Saskatchewan (USask). The program will now bear the name "The FCC Accelerated Breeding Program at GIFS." Accelerated breeding combines technologies such as genomic selection, speed... Read More
A skilled agronomist is as much a detective as they are an agronomy expert. Recognizing signs and symptoms, asking the right background questions, and looking at a problem from all angles helps an agronomist sort out what's going on when things go awry. For this episode of The Agronomists, host Lyndsey Smith is joined by... Read More
As the calendar turns to the back half of June in Ontario, growers typically sharpen their focus on nitrogen management as the crop pushes into its rapid growth phases. But what's happening in the field in mid June 2024 is really dependent on where in the province you farm and whether you've been able to... Read More
Farmers in six Ontario counties have until Tuesday, June 18, to plant corn and still receive production insurance coverage through Agricorp. The announcement came late last week for corn acres being planted in Lambton, Middlesex, Niagara, Chatham-Kent, Essex, and Elgin counties. "Wet weather in parts of Ontario is creating difficult planting conditions for some corn... Read More
The new crop year begins August 1, 2024, and each year the Canadian Grain Commission provides an update on grain grading changes and variety designations taking effect for the upcoming crop marketing cycle. The CGC, led by new chief commissioner David Hunt, has announced several smaller changes for 2024-25, based on consultations with its Western... Read More
Each pulse species requires certain bacteria, usually a rhizobium inoculant, in order for plants to fix their own nitrogen. Once nodules form on the plant roots, those little factories can provide much of the crop's N needs, but there are several decisions farmers have to make at seeding to ensure excellent nodulation, and there are... Read More