Category: Crop Schools

Georgia cash cropper Randy Dowdy has been farming for less than ten years. In that time he has broken the world record for corn yield, and now he’s laid claim to the soybean yield record.Earlier this month Dowdy’s record 171.8 bushel/acre soybean yield was celebrated at a press conference hosted by the University of Georgia… Read More

As summer turns to fall in Ontario, the drought conditions that parched corn crops across the province has been replaced by high moisture and high humidity with continued sunshine.That doesn’t bode well for grain quality as harvest approaches, says Pride Market Agronomist Ken Currah. In this episode of Real Agriculture Corn School, Currah looks at a… Read More

Drought conditions in Ontario could slow harvest in some soybean fields this fall where plants suffer from Green Stem Syndrome.In this edition of Real Agriculture Soybean School, Pride Seeds market agronomist Dan Foster explains Green Stem Syndrome happens when there is partial or complete leaf drop but the soybean plant stem remains green. “The beans… Read More

Wet conditions at harvest inevitably result in a mess, as heavy combines and grain carts leave their mark in the soft soil.With above normal rainfall extending into harvest in parts of Western Canada, we’re seeing some deep ruts and serious compaction from harvest equipment.“That wheel traffic compaction can go as deep as three or four… Read More

It’s been four years since Todd Boughner of Judge Farms took the plunge and installed 67 acres of subsurface drip irrigation on a sandy soiled farm near Delhi, Ontario.When Real Agriculture first visited the project, Boughner, the farm manager, was busy working with a crew to install drip tape across the entire field in an… Read More

With a smartphone in their pocket, every farmer, farm employee, or agronomist is now also a photographer.The ability to share pictures from the field has dramatically improved how farmers and agronomists communicate and diagnose issues.However, the information gleaned from a cellphone photo can only be as good as the original picture. A poor photo won’t tell you anything,… Read More

Would you trade $50 of soybeans for $90 of wheat? Real Agriculture resident agronomist Peter Johnson thinks you should. In this Wheat School episode, Johnson shares his key takeaway from this year’s record Ontario wheat crop, which is pegged at an estimated average of 96 to 98 bushels per acre, 20 percent above the historical… Read More

With wet growing conditions in many areas and high prices driving tight pulse crop rotations, the table was set for root rot to feast on pea stands in Western Canada this year.While one of the main culprits — aphanomyces — was first confirmed in Saskatchewan in 2012 and in Alberta in 2013, testing on the pathogen has… Read More

That’s a question many growers ask when they see parts of their soybean fields prematurely turning yellow in August and early September.In this episode of Real Agriculture Soybean School, OMAFRA’s Albert Tenuta and University of Guelph researcher Dave Hooker team up to answer the question and provide management tips. When his phone rings, Tenuta says… Read More

Growers in the east and west can both attest to the truth in Luke Bryan’s lyrics about rain and corn this year, but for different reasons.While drought-stressed corn plants in parts of Ontario have failed to produce cobs, the crop has benefited from plenty of moisture on the prairies.“I’ve always jokingly said — and this year… Read More