Category: Crop Production

As corn planting moves along in Ontario, the list of issues to deal with in the field is also progressing, as RealAg agronomist Peter Johnson has a pair of insect alerts on this week's Word. Unfortunately there's also been some frost in parts of the country, and Wheat Pete walks us through how to assess... Read More

After surveying nearly 200 weed scientists across Canada and the U.S., the Weed Science Society of America published its top ten list of "most troublesome" weeds in broadleaf crops this week. Fortunately, the most troublesome weed has not been found in Canada (yet), but there are certainly some familiar foes on this list. (Maybe there's... Read More

In a recent Fast Company magazine article there was a feature on the benefits of using technology to produce food. The article praised the efficiency gains made by implementing the latest in what technology could provide. The farm in the article is located in San Francisco. That's right, it's a vertical farm. The company's name... Read More

For farmers with plenty of help, it's the eyes and ears of others around the farm that help with spotting, moving, or monitoring equipment. For farmers like Jim Hale, from Lancer, Sask., cameras installed on some of his machinery have replaced some of that help. A cereal, pulse, and oilseed farmer, Hale runs his farm... Read More

It pays to steer clear of those corn rows when planting soybeans. In this episode of RealAgriculture Soybean School, Syngenta agronomist Eric Richter explains that planting directly on, or too close to, last year's corn row produces seed mortality rates between 50% to 80%. He notes that it really doesn’t matter whether growers are pulling... Read More

With fields drying out and warming up soybean planting is moving full steam ahead in Ontario. In many cases the spring conditions are dictating that farmers take a ‘plant now, spray later’ approach. It’s an obvious choice, but the challenge for many is how to manage fast-growing, large weeds that can quickly take a bite... Read More

Cork-screw corn, good-looking western spring crops, heat unit discrepancies — it's been a wild week of major seeding progress in Western Canada, while much of Ontario's planting progress has been hamstrung with extremely cold and wet weather. Some Ontario farmers, including Wheat Pete's Word host Peter Johnson, are on to plan C for field prep... Read More

Have you ever looked across the road at the neighbour and thought, “Man, he has a lot of equipment for the acres he farms!" I think that conversation must be happening more than we think because the USDA has reported that corn planting is 71% complete in the U.S. That's 1% ahead of the long-term... Read More

The Alberta Wheat Commission (AWC) wants you to "Be The Wheat Champion" in its new contest. AWC launched the contest so farmers can have some fun in trying to become the "most productive wheat grower" in Alberta. Entry to the contest is free, and Brian Kennedy, grower relations with AWC, says that the inspiration for... Read More

The Alberta Wheat Commission (AWC) has launched a new consumer-focused marketing strategy, titled "Life's Simple Ingredients." The main goal of this project is to help consumers understand where their food comes from, and to shed a positive light on wheat so they can feel good about what they are eating. Victoria Russell, interim communications manager... Read More