Managing for nitrogen losses in crop production is important, absolutely, but N isn't the only nutrient at risk of being lost from the plant's refrigerator. Phosphorus, that other macro-nutrient we know and love, is also subject to losses — and while losses may go relatively unnoticed in the cropping system, our lakes are rivers pay... Read More
Category: Crop Production
Ontario isn’t letting politically charged energy issues such as the ongoing gas plant cancellation controversy get in its way of its clean air policy development…and neither should farmers. Regardless of what party is in office after the next election, over the past couple of weeks it’s become even clearer the future of energy production here... Read More
Phosphorus management is and must be a long term proposition. Phosphorus behaves very differently than nitrogen in the soil, as it binds tightly to soil particles and releases slowly over time. This is good and bad — it's not subject to the same loss risk that N is, but it also means that sometimes the... Read More
It's worrisome, though not terribly surprising, that Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Development (MAFRD) announced today confirmed glyphosate resistant kochia biotypes were found in the province. MAFRD jointly conducted a kochia survey across Manitoba in the fall of 2013, in conjunction with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (the Saskatoon Research Centre) and the University of Manitoba,... Read More
In this episode of the Corn School, Bernard Tobin and OMAF Corn Lead Greg Stewart turn to a chalkboard to draw up some nitrogen strategies for the 2014 corn crop. Throughout the winter meeting season, Stewart touted a split application approach to nitrogen. He recommends growers put down 100 lb of nitrogen pre-plant and then... Read More
Former Agriculture and Agri-Food bean breeder Dr. Ali Navabi has been named as the new professor in wheat breeding at the University of Guelph. Dr. Navabi has been acting as a bean breeder in the AAFC/University of Guelph Bean Breeding Program since 2008. “We are proud to see this initiative come to fruition through the... Read More
There's nothing quite like demo plots — where else will you find head to head comparisons of one variety or practice compared against its neighbour? The trouble with plots, though, is that you only usually see them once and then have to wait for data months later to find out what the real difference was... Read More
As the snow retreats (quickly now, get on with you), it's time to get out there and take a good look at the winter wheat stand. There is such thing as doing a winterkill evaluation too early, but, depending on the method you use, you could need up to two weeks to get a good... Read More
A pre-seed burn down is often the first pass on a field. Some may overlook the importance of getting a strong burn-down, but in reality it can be a huge detriment if some components get overlooked. And if you're going to do a job, you should do it well. Why does a pre-seed burn-down matter?... Read More
It's early April and farmers are itching to get the planter out in the field. For the precious few of you in Ontario that are nearly ready to roll, have at 'er, but for most of the corn growing region, it's not late yet, but it's looking like the planting window may be slightly compressed.... Read More