Did you know it’s Soil Conservation Week? Here we are just one day after Earth Day, and in that spirit Peter Johnson kicks off this week’s crop update with a challenge for farmers. When’s the last time you sat at the kitchen table and talked about your farm’s biggest asset, the soil? Johnson says if... Read More
Category: Crop Production
Trimble has bought HarvestMark, a food traceability and quality inspection company. HarvestMark collects information on food movement and sales, with an eye to food safety tracking and supply chain management. The acquisition of HarvestMark "further enhances" Trimble’s position in agriculture and transportation and logistics within the food supply chain, the company says. The addition of... Read More
Is your planter ready to roll? Corn planting season will soon be here for growers in Ontario and Western Canada. While it's been a cool spring in Ontario, an early melt in Western Canada meant some fields were dry enough to plant several weeks ago. However, the date on the calendar and the temperature reading... Read More
Soil conditions in the heart of the soybean growing area on the eastern prairies have been dry this spring, leading to questions about planting deeper than normal to ensure the seed has access to moisture. This Soybean School West episode takes us to the middle of a windy field near Portage, Man., where Dieter Schwarz... Read More
The Canadian Forage & Grassland Association (CFGA) has named Cedric MacLeod, of Fredericton, New Brunswick, as the group's executive director, effective June, 2015. "(Cedric) brings a strong background in forages, and experience working in organizations to successfully advance their goals and agendas. We look forward to his leadership as we promote the forage and grassland... Read More
With corn planting season around the corner, the annual routine of getting planting units ready for a new growing season is well underway. The planter setup and calibration process should account for the size of corn seed going through the planter, notes Dieter Schwarz of Pride Seeds in this latest Corn School episode. "Look at... Read More
Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz has announced the government’s commitment to “streamline and modernize” the way crop varieties are registered in Canada. These proposed changes will now enter into a consultation period ahead of the actual regulatory changes being drafted. Most major field crops grown in Canada are subject to Variety Registration, such as wheat, canola,... Read More
The first rule of the 3Rs (no, not Fight Club) is to reduce, then comes reuse ahead of the third R — recycle. Farmers are already reducing total plastic needed by buying crop protection products in large totes vs. jugs, but those large totes need to find a final home eventually, too. Of course, farmers... Read More
The pictures are rolling in and it appears that the wheat that did get in the ground last fall (or was it winter?) did actually make it. Maple syrup season has wrapped up, to mixed reviews on volume (but you can bet it still tastes great), but that also means it’s warming up — and... Read More
Do you manage your corn crop differently, based on whether or not you'll be using a fungicide or topped-up nitrogen rates? That may end up being a new recommendation, as research is beginning to offer clues on how each input works with the other — sometimes providing not just additive benefits, but synergistic ones (think:... Read More