New funding has come through for the Ontario Soil Network (OSN). The funding, from the Canadian Agricultural Partnership, is designated to support 40 farmers' participation in the 2019 peer-to-peer leadership and learning program. Following a successful pilot in 2017-18, the OSN 2019 program will be overseen by the Rural Ontario Institute (ROI) and is supported... Read More
Category: Crop Production
Just forty or fifty years ago, weed control strategies and options differed greatly from what farmers have to deliberate between today. With a heavy reliance on tillage, physically destroying weeds took a heavy toll on soil moisture reserves and soil structure, leading to issues with salinity and erosion. Today's western Canadian farmers have moved en... Read More
Canada's Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister, Lawrence MacAulay is supporting the United Nations' proclamation of the International Year of Plant Health for 2020. In a news release, MacAulay says the federal government recognizes protecting Canada's plant resources is vital to food security and Canadians' wellbeing. "Plants are not only the first link in the food chain,... Read More
Mapping the wheat genome has been a major goal of scientists for decades. Getting it sequenced was a major accomplishment, but it wasn't the end of the journey – it was, in reality, only opening the door so the journey could begin. Curtis Pozniak, professor at the University of Saskatchewan and plant breeder with the... Read More
Happy New Year, listeners! Peter 'Wheat Pete' Johnson is back with the 191st episode of Wheat Pete's Word and it could be the very first episode in months not to use that dreaded three-letter word (DON). Instead, this episode talks soil sampling and nutrient recommendation philosophies, dealing with ruts and wet fall conditions, winter manure... Read More
As 2018 ends, many want to forget about the tough harvest this past year. Everything from drought and high DON levels, to frost in August and snow in September — it all played a major factor of the stress of farming and hampered this year's crop quality and tonnage. The wonky harvest caused a lot... Read More
2018 was a difficult year for soybean markets. The U.S.-China trade war triggered a $2.00-$2.50 per bushel reduction in the futures market and neither side appears willing to relent in their sanction tug-of-war. In RealAgriculture's final Soybean School episode of the 2018 season, we asked ag economist, market commentator, and farmer Philip Shaw for his... Read More
Although the equine industry wasn't Linnaeus Plant Sciences' (LPSI) main target for marketing their camelina product, the company has formed a new bond with horse owners across Canada. LPSI owns new varieties of high yielding and disease resistant camelina. The company says the oil from the crop is high in omega-3 fatty acids, and this... Read More
There is no mineral that provides nitrogen for plants. No rock, like there is for phosphate or sulphur. There is some nitrogen in the organic matter of soils but any additional nitrogen that a plant needs has to come out of the air. The good news is that about 78 percent of the air around... Read More
A French company is purchasing 15 malt barley facilities from Cargill. The purchase includes Prairie Malt, located in Biggar, Sask. The two companies, Cargill and Axéréal’s malt subsidiary, Boortmalt, entered into an agreement expanding Boortmalt's global economic footprint. In a news release, Cargill states existing clients should also see further opportunities for growth as a... Read More