If the soil is fit but the calendar says March, do you dare put some wheat in the ground? On this episode of The Agronomists, host Lyndsey Smith is joined by Dr. Brian Beres with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and Tyler McBlain with McBlain Farms to discuss ultra early cereal seeding — including seeding durum... Read More
Category: Video
Regardless of the topic — be it food security, water access, or animal welfare — communicating using language that resonates with consumers is key to getting a message through. Food insecurity is on the rise in Canada, as grocery prices have been rising for the last five years. According to Food Banks Canada, as of... Read More
For Derek Axten, changing nitrogen management on over 10,000 acres first required changing the goal. Shifting from a production-maximizing mentality to a profitability-first and resilience mindset is more fun, he says, though it's not without its share of challenges. The Axtens have been using several different management tools to make the shift to a soil-health... Read More
Scott Buchan sees the impact of technology whenever he's watching his broiler chickens or looking at his hydro bills. For Buchan, who operates Buchrest Farms along with his family in Ontario's Waterloo Region, investing in technology and innovation plays a key role in making the operation more profitable and sustainable. Buchan notes that his energy... Read More
Working, reliable equipment is a necessity on the farm, and we don't just mean the tractors. Pieces of portable equipment such as augers and conveyors can easily be forgotten in the rush to get the job done, but the process of reviewing equipment that is on the farm, and then making the decision to repair... Read More
The fertilizer market doesn't move in lock-step with the grain markets — both the peak demand and trends work on their own timelines. Which is too bad, of course, when commodity prices drop but fertilizer prices don't follow suit. Both the fertilizer and commodity markets are, however, working through uncertainty and trade disruption created by... Read More
Harvested seed quality is heavily influenced by weather conditions throughout the growing season. Summers with drought conditions, as well as heat blast, can lead to an increased occurrence of mechanical damage in pulse seed lots. While the Prairies experienced both last year, the quality of seed going into 2025 is quite stable, says Carey Matthiessen,... Read More
Not knowing what the weather will do is one of the great challenges when farming or ranching. While a producer can do everything within their power to ensure a successful crop, rain—or the lack of it—at inopportune times can spell disaster throughout the growing season. Weather and what it may look like for the coming... Read More
If there's one thing that's predictable in the current grain markets, it's unpredictability. While farmers are not complaining about a trend reversal in the corn market to the upside, the uncertainty of what's at play in the market does create some stress. To unpack what's happened and what to watch for in the coming days... Read More
A pair of ethanol companies — Greenfield Global Inc. and Alco Energy Canada (formerly IGPC Ethanol Inc) — and Grain Farmers of Ontario have founded a new coalition to champion Canada's biofuel sector. The new organization, named the "Canadian Farms and Fuels Alliance" (or FFA), is open for additional member companies and organizations. The goal... Read More