The third year of Monsanto BioAg’s BioAdvantage Trials (BAT) wrapped up with a morning event that had co-operators, agronomists, and reps feeling optimistic for the growing season to come. The event was held in Saskatoon, the home of partner brand Novozymes’ headquarters and a hub for Western Canadian Ag. The event would update attendees on... Read More
Category: Research
Does throwing the kitchen sink at your soybean crop provide an economic yield response? The answer is a definitive "No" says University of Minnesota associate professor Seth Naeve. His conclusion is based on the the results of a huge three-year U.S. study that he shared with growers attending the Southwest Agricultural Conference in Ridgetown, Ont.,... Read More
Do your corn fields yield less than 170 bu/ac? If so, you have to be careful when removing corn residue from those fields because you could be depleting the field's soil organic matter. That was the message USDA research agronomist Shannon Osbourne shared with those attending the recent Southwest Agricultural Conference at the University of... Read More
Intercropping — the concept of growing multiple crops together (intentionally!) — can sound overwhelming, messy and complicated for many of us accustomed to growing one crop at a time. Which crops should be grown together? How do we separate them after harvest? Hang on, how do we harvest them? And seeding? How do you manage... Read More
Can rolling soybeans pump up your yields? If you get the timing right it looks like there's a two bu/ac payoff, according to research conducted this summer by OMAFRA soybean specialist Horst Bohner. In this edition of RealAgriculture Soybean School. Bohner explains that growers traditionally get a 0.5 bu/ac return on rolling due to better... Read More
Which clubroot-resistant canola variety with herbicide tolerance trait X is the earliest maturing in your area? What about the highest-yielding blackleg resistant variety with herbicide trait Y? Every year the Canola Council of Canada administers the Canola Performance Trials — a third-party small plot and field scale evaluation of current canola varieties. The program is... Read More
What happens when 400 innovative farmers, a team of agronomy and extension specialists, and a leading soil compaction researcher descend on an Ontario farm? You get Compaction Action – likely the most ambitious and insightful 'hands-on' farm research day ever attempted in the province. The event, hosted by the Innovative Farmers Association of Ontario (IFAO),... Read More
With late planting and slow maturity, much of Ontario's corn crop may be in for a challenge as leaf diseases arrive in fields across the province. In this episode of RealAgriculture Corn School, we catch up with Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Rood and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) field pathologist Albert Tenuta in his leaf disease nursery... Read More
Should you spray your soybeans once or twice? In this episode of Real Agriculture Soybean School, OMAFRA weed specialist Mike Cowbrough takes a look at how one-pass and two-pass herbicide systems compare. He notes that a one-pass program can offer effective weed control if growers keep soybeans fields weed-free through the third trifoliate stage. But... Read More
The ability to precisely place individual seeds in a row, as with corn or soybeans, has led some canola growers to switch from air seeders to vacuum planters. Trials in southern Alberta support the hypothesis that better seed-to-soil contact from using a planter results in improved germination and emergence, says Mike Gretzinger, research manager for... Read More