You've just finished combining a corn field and you want to know how much organic matter all that corn residue will contribute to your soil. RealAgriculture's agronomist Peter Johnson tackles that question on our latest Corn School episode. Unfortunately, as Johnson explains, all those stalks and cobs won’t have much of an impact. When it... Read More
Category: Crop Schools
With memories of combines getting stuck, high disease levels and all the problems that come with excess moisture fresh in many farmers' minds, the dry conditions through much of Western Canada in 2017 were a sharp reminder of why moisture conservation is fundamental to farming on the prairies. "One of the key learnings from this... Read More
Soybean cyst nematode (SCN) continues to spread across Ontario. The yield-robbing pest was first discovered in the southwest of the province in 1988 and continues to expand north and eastward. OMAFRA plant pathologist Albert Tenuta encourages all growers to take a close look at their soybean fields to determine whether the pest is present. SCN... Read More
Phosphorus is a critical nutrient in farming, but it has also received a lot of negative attention for the impact it can have on water quality. If we consider the path of a single phosphorus molecule, it probably originates in a rock formation in the U.S. or North Africa. From there it becomes fertilizer and... Read More
For OMAFRA weed specialist Mike Cowbrough there are three fundamentals when it comes to weed control in soybeans. The first thing growers need to remember is weeds that emerge before and with the crop have the greatest yield impact. Number two on his list is the need to keep the crop weed-free up to the... Read More
When it comes to integrated disease management, experts have always considered corn a non-host for diseases like sudden death syndrome (SDS) in soybeans. But that perception is changing says OMAFRA field pathologist Albert Tenuta. In this episode of RealAgriculture Soybean School, Tenuta says there is growing evidence that corn residue can harbour or allow the... Read More
Whatever you do, get out there and plant your wheat. That's the message agronomist Peter Johnson has for Ontario wheat growers in this episode of the Wheat School. "Either plant into moisture or plant in dust," says Johnson, who notes that many growers across the province are hesitant to plant because of widespread dry soil... Read More
Not all corn fields are created equal. Some will produce higher profits when planted with a fixed ear hybrid, others will benefit from a flex ear hybrid, and some fields will perform best with a bit of both. In this episode of RealAgriculture Corn School, Pride Seeds market agronomist Aaron Stevanus explains the basic difference... Read More
Cold nighttime temperatures in recent weeks across Ontario are causing soybean plants to shut down. That's one of the reasons why many growers are seeing oddly coloured leaves throughout their soybean crops. In this Real Agriculture Soybean School episode, Pride Seeds agronomist Dan Foster explains that in many instances the bronze and reddish leaves growers... Read More
Is the corn going to make it? Will it mature before Ontario farmers are greeted by the first killing frost? Those were the two big questions that dominated conversations at Canada's Outdoor Farm Show this week in Woodstock, Ontario. To get a good understanding of the challenges the provincial corn crop is facing, RealAgriculture sent... Read More