Strip till continues to gain traction among corn growers, but one question keeps coming up: how much fertilizer can you safely apply within the strip without risking crop injury? On this RealAgriculture Corn School episode, University of Guelph graduate student Jonathan Sawicki joins host Bernard Tobin to share a preliminary look at what his research... Read More
Category: Ontario Agricultural Conference
More than 100 research studies show that soybeans typically suffer from a nitrogen gap when yields exceed 60 bu/ac. At that yield level, the combination of soil nitrogen and nodulation often doesn’t provide what the plant requires to achieve higher yields. Could biologicals — including nitrogen-fixing endophytes and biostimulants — fill that “yield gap” and... Read More
The Great Lakes are the foundational driver of regional weather patterns, influencing temperatures, moisture and storm tracks across the Ontario, says meteorologist Ron Bianchi. At the recent Ontario Certified Crop Advisor annual meeting in London, Ont., Bianchi looked at the growing impact of the Great Lakes and unpacked what’s driving weather across Ontario and Western... Read More
One of a farmer's greatest assets is the story of how they produce food to feed a growing urban population, says Terry O’Reilly, host of CBC's popular program Under the Influence. At the Southwest Agricultural Conference at the University of Guelph's Ridgetown Campus, O’Reilly, a seasoned marketing expert and noted author, reminded farmers that they... Read More
What will it take to keep driving corn yields higher in the years ahead? At the 2026 SouthWest Agricultural Conference at the University of Guelph’s Ridgetown campus, University of Illinois corn researcher Dr. Fred Below shared a compelling vision for future corn management — one that starts with fundamentals but leads to a bold conclusion... Read More
Poor crop prices and growing input costs will make farm profitability a tough pursuit in 2026 but there will be pricing opportunities for farmers to take advantage of throughout the growing season. That was Steve Kell's message to Ontario farmers attending the SouthWest Agricultural Conference this week at the University of Guelph's Ridgetown Campus. Drawing... Read More
Tar spot was first confirmed in Ontario at Ridgetown in the southwest corner of the province in 2020. Since then, the corn leaf disease has spread across Ontario, pushing east past Toronto and into Quebec. Many Ontario farmers experienced the yield robber in their fields for the first time in 2024 and the disease is... Read More
How does nitrogen leaf burn impact yield? What about leaf wetness at application? Will wet leaves mitigate the potential for damage from a nitrogen application? Those are just some of the questions University of Guelph researcher Josh Nasielski and RealAgriculture's Bernard Tobin tackle on this episode of the RealAgriculture Corn School. Tobin caught up with... Read More
What does it mean to struggle well? In 2006, then Major Mark Gasparotto, now retired as a Colonel, led the combat engineers during Operation Medusa in Afghanistan, Canada's largest combat mission since the Korean War. As a keynote speaker, Gasparotto now shares how the lessons learned on that mission, of leadership following friendly fire, of... Read More
Wheat Pete wishes he didn't have to talk about safety but he has to. More farmers are telling him that they've had draw pins stolen. Make sure you do a circle check and check the pins before moving wagons — you could save a life. Farmers also have to stay safe around grain bins. Pete... Read More