Ontario's soils are losing organic matter. What builds organic matter? Perennial and forage species! But if you're going to plant perennial hay or pasture, you have to have something to feed it to or you won't be farming long enough to see the value of the added organic matter. And that's a slight problem, as... Read More
Category: Crop Production
Even with a fresh blanket of snow in some regions, farmers are eager to start planning for the spring season. From early seeding in Saskatchewan, to managing cover crops and bio strip-till, to building magnesium, resident agronomist Peter Johnson covers it all in this episode of the show. Have a question you’d like Johnson to... Read More
Simplot announced a $460 million expansion of its potato processing facility at Portage la Prairie, Man. on Wednesday. Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister and Agriculture Minister Ralph Eichler were on hand with J.R. Simplot CEO Bill Whitacre to announce the investment, an expansion that will add nearly 100 jobs to the facility. “Manitoba delivers in so... Read More
The Saskatchewan Flax Development Commission has hired its own agronomist to support flax growers in the province. Michelle Beaith joined SaskFlax as of Monday. “Having a flax agronomist will be hugely beneficial to our organization and to flax producers,” says Wayne Thompson, executive director for SaskFlax, in a statement. “Michelle will be able to help... Read More
Waterhemp has set down roots across Ontario, from Essex and Lambton County, and reports indicate it may have migrated as far east as Quebec. Controlling the invader poses several challenges for growers, says BASF agronomist Richard Anderson. The first problem is a high level of herbicide resistance. Some waterhemp is resistant to up to three... Read More
While much of the focus over the past several months has been on the pulse industry, with India's tariffs on pulse crops, Canada's cereal crop value chain has also had its hands full working on market access challenges. Italy, with its new country-of-origin labeling legislation and campaigns spreading doubt about the quality and safety of... Read More
Grower groups and value chain organizations are under constant pressure to deliver value for their membership. Proving relevance and value to an aligned value chain is a complicated balance of keeping an organization moving forward and towards agreed upon goals. But reaching that consensus on direction and capitalizing on opportunities can be a challenge when... Read More
Precision agriculture company Farmers Edge has plans to disrupt the crop insurance industry, announcing an agreement with global reinsurer PartnerRe on Tuesday. The four-year deal will see Farmers Edge and PartnerRe jointly develop new agriculture insurance products based on field data that Farmers Edge already collects for agronomic reasons. "For the longest time we've been... Read More
Will the growth of cover crops lead to an explosion of plugged tile drains? According to Ohio State professor and farm drainage specialist Dr. Larry Brown, there's little evidence to suggest that cover crops are going to cause drainage headaches for farmers. At the recent Ontario Certified Crop Advisors annual meeting, Brown says he often... Read More
Mole drainage is a concept for reducing waterlogging in heavy clay soils by creating underground tunnels for water, similar to tile drainage, but without the cost of pipe. The subsurface drains are created using a single-shank plow with a cylindrical "torpedo" attached at the bottom, leaving a channel for water to flow along, generally at... Read More