Is there a marriage to be made between precision agriculture and strip tillage in corn? That's a question Maizex Seeds' agronomist Greg Stewart and Real Agriculture's Bernard Tobin tackle on the first episode of The Sharp Edge, a new video series debuting on RealAg, brought to you by Maizex Seeds. In the months ahead our... Read More
Category: Crop Production
Weed control is often focused first on out-competing the pest. Some escape, of course, so "control" shifts to decreasing the weed seed bank. There are limited ways to eliminate those weeds with mature seeds at harvest, but recent work in Australia and here in Canada is focused on destroying weeds at the combine. According to... Read More
Like with human health, maintaining or creating healthy soil is more about doing lots of things right vs. adding one product. And, just as with human health, there's no magic pill to solve a problem — anyone who tells you there is, is probably selling something. Dr. Don Flaten, soil scientist at the University of... Read More
Have you ever wondered how countries that buy Canadian wheat learn about each crop-year's characteristics? The story of each crop begins with the harvest sample program, involves a careful analysis of the crop, and continues with crop missions to countries such as Singapore, Ecuador, China, and Mexico. Cam Dahl, president of Cereals Canada, and Gary... Read More
It's not the forecast anyone in Ontario wants to hear. While some are still finishing up 2019 harvest — a season hampered by a cool, wet spring, a drought, then a nasty fall — weather guru Drew Lerner, of World Weather Inc, says farmers may have to be just as patient in 2020. On the... Read More
Before being released in Canada, hemp cultivars go through an approval process very different from other crops. Unlike wheat or canola, for example, lines are not required to undergo a certain amount of trialing in Canada before they can be grown here. That's not to say there aren't processes in place to vet cultivars before... Read More
The Competition Bureau has filed an application to order grain company Parrish & Heimbecker (P&H) to sell either their elevator at Moosomin, Sask., or their newly-purchased elevator at Virden, Man. The application cites the recent acquisition by the company gives P&H control of the two elevators which are along a 180 km stretch of the... Read More
Is 100 bushels per acre a reality for Ontario soybeans? If so, what can Ontario growers do to push soybean yields to the next level? Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs soybean specialist Horst Bohner believes one of the keys to making the yield jump is getting more nutrition into the soybean plant.... Read More
The Alberta Barley Commission and Alberta Wheat Commission recently integrated their management teams, and now, for 2020, they're looking for direction by members on whether amalgamating the board of directors should also happen. "That would be a combined Alberta Wheat and Barley Commission," says Tom Steve, general manager of both the commissions. "I think it's... Read More
Changing weather patterns played havoc with corn planting and harvest in 2019 and they also affected insect cycles and how pests impacted the crop. Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs entomologist Tracey Baute notes that the cold, wet spring had a big impact on western bean cutworm (WBC). A significant reduction in early-season... Read More