Peter Johnson wishes farmers managed wheat more like corn. He admits that corn’s bigger yields and higher profitability creates more interest in intensively managing the crop, but that does not excuse growers from making good, basic wheat management decisions. One thing that drives Real Agriculture’s resident agronomist crazy is wheat growers who seed based on... Read More
Category: Crop Production
The nitrogen is on, the wheat and weeds are growing, and field work and planting is beginning in earnest in Ontario's south (other areas and much of Western Canada will just have to wait a tiny bit longer). As #plant17 gets rolling, Peter Johnson is back with another edition of Wheat Pete's Word, and this... Read More
The unprecedented amount of canola left in the field over winter in Saskatchewan and Alberta has producers and processors trying to figure out the value of this crop. Very little research has been done previously on the impact of snow and over-wintering on canola quality, says Veronique Barthet, oilseed research scientist at the Canadian Grain... Read More
When I'm knee-deep (ankle, for most of you) in discussions about challenges in agriculture, I often ask, "What's the next bee?" I'm used to the funny looks I get, but what I mean, once I clarify, is what is the next issue in agriculture that will be debated and perhaps regulated not necessarily on the... Read More
Will you be splitting your wheat nitrogen application this spring? Agronomist Peter Johnson thinks you should. In this episode of Real Agriculture Wheat School, Johnson reviews the split N strategy and why growers should take a hard look at making it part of their management plan. “First of all, it simply buys you insurance against... Read More
Contrary to what some headlines and marketing campaigns would lead us to believe, honey bee numbers in Canada are at record highs and trending higher. At the end of 2016, there were a record 750 thousand colonies in the country, according to Statistics Canada. "The state of the bee industry is quite strong right now,"... Read More
If you want that good looking winter wheat field to deliver top yields don’t skimp on sulphur this spring. That’s the key message agronomist Peter Johnson has for growers in the latest episode of Real Agriculture Wheat School. Johnson explains that 10 pounds per acre is sufficient for growers targeting 100 bushel per acre wheat,... Read More
If there's one thing expanding farming in Northern Ontario will require, it's money. Financial backing. Bankrolling. Investment. Whatever name you give it, securing land is only a part of the cost of starting farming — new land must be cleared, cleaned up, and tiled if it's to be improved to at least a Class 3.... Read More
Wet conditions prevented normal fall fertilizer application in parts of Western Canada last fall, leaving growers looking at options for delivering nitrogen to this year's crop. As Don Flaten, soil scientist at the University of Manitoba, explains in this episode of Canola School, there's no one-size-fits-all approach. Growers will have to consider their limiting factors... Read More
Grain markets headed into the Easter holiday weekend on a bit more volatility, helping most futures stay in the green. Oats were the big winner, rebounding up 4.15% since last Friday, closely followed by 3.5% and 3.15% by soymeal and corn respectively. The U.S. dollar was the big loser of the week, down 0.6%, which... Read More