If the word "biological" or "bio-stimulant" makes you think of fairy dust and unicorn hair, you're not alone, but these once-mysterious and poorly-understood products are proving their worth in broadacre, commercial agriculture. For example, large, science-based companies such as Monsanto and Alltech have joined in to the business of biological field crop products that reach... Read More
Category: Crop Production
This column is long overdue. It should have been written shortly after Trudeau announced plans for a mandatory national price on carbon emissions during harvest in early October. Or even earlier, when some provincial governments started announcing their carbon tax or cap and trade programs. For all the time that's passed and words that have... Read More
A farming couple from New Zealand has entered the book of Guinness World Records for growing the highest wheat yield on record. Eric and Maxine Watson of Ashburton harvested a 249.68 bushels/acre crop (16.791 tonnes/ha) on February 17. “We’re absolutely delighted to have set a new record – I feel a bit overcome in a... Read More
Aphanomyces is a soil-borne water mold thatcauses devastating root rots in pulses, especially pea and lentil crops. Unfortunately for farmers, the aphanomyces spores can live in the soil for 10 years, and thrive under wet conditions. That means, not only has this root rot advanced rapidly across many areas of Saskatchewan and Alberta, but it's... Read More
Not only are there legalities that need to be considered when purchasing and planting off-patent soybean seed, as we discussed in an earlier Soybean School feature, but there are also agronomic considerations. Due to the nature of the off-patent soybean seed market, assurances for the grower on maturity, germination, quality, and purity are often lacking... Read More
There are many aspects of farming that are beyond a farmer's control (weather, markets...), but there are also variables that can be managed better than they have been in the past, according to the Georgia farmer who has set world corn and soybean yield records. "We make big yields and we blame the weather. We... Read More
Almost half of North American Certified Crop Advisors (CCAs) holding a new 4R Nutrient Management designation reside in Ontario. That puts Ontario’s crop advisors at the forefront of efforts to help farmers and agriculture improve water quality, environmental stewardship and sustainability, says Ontario Certified Crop Advisor Association executive director Susan Fitzgerald. Earlier this week, the... Read More
FMC Corporation and DuPont have announced a deal that will see FMC acquire the portion of DuPont's crop protection business that the European Commission required to be divested as part of DuPont's merger with The Dow Chemical Company. FMC will acquire DuPont's global cereal broadleaf herbicide and global chewing pest insecticide portfolios, as well as... Read More
Fresh off the 100th episode of Wheat Pete's Word, the questions are pouring in, as are the all-in-good-fun "Just how old are you, Peter Johnson?" comments. In this week's word, we're talking soil nutrients in snirt (soil/dirt mix), why you shouldn't worry about brown-leaved wheat just yet, why geese are terrible creatures, when we can... Read More
Mike Dorion calls himself ‘the compost kid’ and he believes farmers should think about their fields like he does his garden. The founder of Calgary-based Living Soil Solutions doesn’t suggest cash crop farmers use tea leaves to improve soil health, but he does preach the benefits of reducing tillage, banking organic matter to help increase... Read More