In 2022, the top 20 growers in the Great Lakes Yield Enhancement Network (YEN) harvested 50 bu/ac more wheat than the bottom 20 growers in overall yield rankings. What's really surprising, says RealAgriculture agronomist Peter Johnson, is that this gap exists despite there being only a five percent difference in yield potential between the two... Read More
Category: Crop Production
The federal government has committed another $150 million to Protein Industries Canada over the next five years, as the original funding for the innovation cluster expired last year. The protein initiative is one of five clusters receiving funding as part of the $750 million Global Innovation Cluster program that was announced in the 2022 budget... Read More
As I make my way across Canada and the U.S. in the first part of 2023, I am very struck by the hatred that farmers have for the word sustainability. It seems that the word spawns real contempt for an urban consumer that misunderstands the activities on the farm. Sustainability is everywhere. It always has... Read More
Canadian researchers working on policy, greenhouse gas reduction, and carbon dynamics are looking to quantify the carbon sequestering potential of different landscapes. At the University of Alberta, in collaboration with federal and provincial governments, Dr. Vic Adamowicz has been tasked with researching the carbon capture potential of natural areas. Adamowicz, an environmental economist, and his... Read More
Changes are coming to the top of the civil service within Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA). Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on Friday that Chris Forbes, a veteran in federal agriculture policy circles, having served as deputy minister of the agriculture department since 2017, will be moving to... Read More
Tar spot has been spreading across North American corn growing regions ever since the leaf disease was first detected in 2015. Characterized by tar-like speckling on the upper surface of corn leaves, the fungal pathogen can deliver yield hits ranging from 20 to 60 bushels per acre (in highly infected fields). On this episode of... Read More
Learning from on-farm research and farmers learning from each other is a cornerstone of a Yield Enhancement Network (YEN). First piloted in Europe, a YEN connects growers, researchers, and data to test theories and learn from each other using field-scale experience. Aaron Mills, a research scientist with Agriculture & Agri-food Canada (AAFC), spoke this week... Read More
For good reason, there's been increased discussion about 4R nutrient management. This easy-to-remember moniker refers to increasing fertilizer use efficiency by considering the right rate, time, placement, and form of a product (usually nitrogen and phosphorus). The 4Rs are focused on fertilizer, but as Dr. Claudia Wagner-Riddle, researcher with the University of Guelph noted in... Read More
Canada is an exporting nation, of that there can be no doubt. While some countries struggle to produce enough to feed its people, Canada produces more than double what it needs. That creates a clear opportunity, and some would say responsibility, to export food and food ingredients world-wide. Ted Bilyea, distinguished fellow with the Canadian... Read More
When people think of Atlantic Canada, they often think of the abundant potatoes grown in the area. While there's a reason this comes to mind, as potatoes are a key crop, there are several other crops grown in rotation to ensure soil health and overall crop health. This is one of the messages the Atlantic... Read More