Category: Podcasts

According to speakers at last week's Canola Galla in Penhold, AB, a single gram of soil (roughly the size of a Smartie) can contain hundreds --- if not thousands or even millions --- of resting clubroot spores. And, those resting spores can survive up to 20 years in the soil, spreading by catching rides on... Read More

The closure of two packing plants in Ontario last year has forced producers to look for hook space at processors outside the province. The uncertainty in demand is hurting confidence in the industry, suggests Guelph-based livestock and meat market analyst Kevin Grier. At the start of 2014, Ontario’s federally-inspected slaughter capacity stood at around 95,000... Read More

As summer begins its last hurrah and ranchers anticipate the fall run, the underlying factors of supply and demand are still supporting cattle prices. But very large, global shifts in markets and economic stability are causing all sorts of fallout for grain and oil markets — how long before those macro trends pressure cattle prices?... Read More

While you're in the field checking canola to see if it's ready to be cut, or perhaps already swathing or harvesting it, it's also a good time to assess the toll disease took on your crop. Sclerotinia, blackleg and clubroot can all cause premature ripening, as disease symptoms become more obvious at the end of... Read More

This week’s ag news podcast, including harvest progress, federal party policies on GMOS, the first StatsCan production estimates and a discussion about to what length farmland should be protected for farming: Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down — Should Farmland Status be Made Permanent? Subscribe: iTunes | Android | RSS

Believe it or not, the tail end of this growing season is rapidly approaching, and while there aren’t many action items to get done this week in the field, the one that MUST happen is a major one — scouting! Peter Johnson, RealAgriculture agronomist and host of Wheat Pete’s Word, kicks off this weekly crop... Read More

Tile drainage in North America has traditionally been installed with a single-leg plow that rips a vertical groove in the soil as it lays the pipe in the ground. Depending on soil type and moisture conditions, the single-shank will disturb the soil and leave a rut or soft spot that can take years to settle.... Read More

Coffee shop talk is often revered and repeated, but is it completely honest? What if, instead of comparing your farm and farm practices across the fence row, you instead sat down with farmers from one hundred kilometers away and compared notes? What could you learn? That's the concept behind formal peer advisory groups, explains Dr... Read More

Phosphorus deficiency is a common problem with corn planted into a rotation following canola. In its early stages, corn relies on mycorrhizae to help with the majority of phosphorus uptake. The trouble with corn following canola is that canola and other crucifer plants are not hosts for micorrhizae, so the beneficial fungi populations must be... Read More

Hot conditions can have an impact on both yield and quality in canola, making timing more important when swathing or straight-cutting the crop. Much of Western Canada has experienced a mid-August heat wave, with fields maturing rapidly in the heat. For canola, this means the time to cut can sneak up quickly. In this Canola... Read More