As the cool, wet spring drags on in Ontario, many farmers are wrestling with whether they have time for tillage or should they just plant as soon as the soil is fit. In this episode of the Agronomy Geeks Ontario podcast, Bernard Tobin talks tillage strategy with Salford Farm Machinery's Jim Boak. Are certain types... Read More
Category: Western Canada
Grain markets this week were up and down with the close of one month, the transition to a new front-month contract, and trade limits changing on the exchanges. Also affecting things were the U.S. Wheat Quality Council’s winter wheat crop tour in Kansas and some violent weather in the Delta. All in all, if there’s... Read More
Farmers often hear about the years of work and painstaking trials it takes to bring a new crop variety to market, but how many years do you think it takes for a new crop protection product to make it to market? Randy Smith of Dow AgroSciences sits down with RealAgriculture editor Shaun Haney to discuss... Read More
The federal government's proposed Bill-30, dubbed the "Fair Rail for Grain Farmers" act, hit a snag while moving through the legislative process yesterday, as the bill was sent back to committee over an amendment being deemed "out of order." At issue was the amendment proposing railways compensating shippers over poor service — what some have... Read More
This week, I had the distinct pleasure of experiencing a Beefbooster bull sale. I thought I was a veteran at bull sales, and was looking somewhat forward to the blast of the auctioneer's voice through the speakers, being enveloped in the smell of a crowd, hamburgers and coffee and the fast pace of a heated... Read More
Did you know that wheat seed that has been negatively impacted by glyphosate application will show no visible signs of damage? So though you may be able to see mechanical damage, there are many factors that hide beneath the surface, including disease presence and susceptibility. That's why it's important to send seed for a test... Read More
I've learned a few things about myself as my career in agriculture media has evolved — I thrive on face-to-face interaction, retain more information if I discuss a topic with someone else (or re-write notes) and that the more I learn about farming and the agriculture industry the more I feel there is to know... Read More
Farmers are preoccupied by the weather and rightly so. Weather, good or bad dictates work load and income during the growing season. It is amazing how many farmers interpret the weather through the fog calendar, hoar frost and moon cycles instead of a weather analyst. For many farmers they rely on one book to guide... Read More
In two months' time, people from around the world will meet up in Winnipeg, Manitoba, to share their knowledge and experiences with conservation agriculture. This is the first time the event, the sixth of its kind, has been hosted in North America. The World Congress on Conservation Agriculture will bring together researchers, industry and, most... Read More
A couple weeks ago there was a good discussion on Twitter discussing the varying thousand kernel weights (TKW) of canola coming from suppliers this season. I hear this discussion pop up every spring, it seems like, and no wonder. Average TKWs on seed fluctuate from year to year, yes, but there's been a trend to... Read More