Molecules in the air consist of 78 per cent nitrogen. During a lightning storm, the energy of a lightning bolt breaks apart nitrogen molecules, allowing them to form nitrogen oxides. These dissolve in rainwater as nitrates, which fall to the ground with the rain and add nitrogen to soil. Over a decade ago, Joe Lewis,... Read More
Category: Crop Production
Growers can throw the kitchen sink at corn to increase yield but there's no guarantee that the extra inputs will improve the bottom line when the crop goes to market. That was certainly the story Purdue University associate professor and extension corn specialist Dr. Dan Quinn observed in his trials across Michigan, Indiana and Kentucky... Read More
Grain Farmers of Ontario (GFO) has released its 2025 strategic plan, a four-year roadmap to guide activities that support the GFO's focus on advocacy, knowledge transfer, market growth, and strong governance as the organization continues its work to bring its mission and vision to life. GFO says its mission is to build, defend, and promote... Read More
What goals should be set for canola yield targets? How have yields been trending? Why is this information important? Achieving a final goal yield at the end of the season is an important component in the profitability of a cropping operation, and setting realistic targets can give producers a reference point from which they can... Read More
The microbiomes of animals, on and in crops, and in soil and water are incredibly complex that are intricately interconnected, with each influencing the others in various ways. Dr. Tim McAllister, principal research scientist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, has spent nearly a decade studying microbiomes, referring to them as the one health microbiome or... Read More
This week is all about bone-chilling cold in Ontario and many parts of Western Canada, but does that mean fall seeded crops are in trouble? It depends. On this week's episode of Wheat Pete's Word host Peter Johnson explains why growing point location, air temp, and snow cover all matter when expecting survival of winter... Read More
Harvesting pulse crops that are low to the ground, whether through lodging or because of a dry season, can lead to shatter losses, reducing yield, grain quality and complicating harvest. The concept behind the S3 AWS Airbar is to have an air assist system attached to the combine header that directs what would otherwise be... Read More
The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness (OMAFA) is getting ready to update its soil management recommendations for farmers in the province. That job will be in the hands of the Ontario Soil Management Committee (OSMC), a group that's been around since the late 1980s, and has acted as a gatekeeper of guidelines published... Read More
Phosphorus plays a critical role in early seedling development and is needed throughout the growing season to achieve top yields. Phosphorus is also not mobile in the soil, as it gets held tightly to soil particles. Roots do their best to seek out and mineralize phosphorus, but managing P requires long-term planning. To dive in... Read More
When he started soil sampling fields in Walkerton, Ont., during high school, a career in agronomy wasn't on the radar for Jonathan Zettler. But after working with agronomists and farm retail staff it didn't take long for him take a shine to the idea of working with crops and calling the field his office. Fast... Read More