Commodity prices are higher than 10 years ago, but growers are still looking for that competitive edge — that one parameter that boosts their production on a per-bushel basis. In the past year, one theme that has popped up repeatedly is “Control the controllable,” referring to everything from fertility to tillage and from crop rotations […] Read more
Pearce: Planter row unit’s launch helps boost growers’ spirits
Pearce: Lots of anticipation, not much Ont. planting yet
The status of winter annual weeds, and the progress of nitrogen application on wheat, were two of the key topics at the latest biweekly meeting of certified crop advisors (CCAs) and provincial ministry staff, near Exeter, Ont. This marked the second such meeting of dealers, retailers and consultants, yet in the time between this meeting […] Read more
Pearce: “Dust-off” in pesticides has farmers’ attention
Widespread concern about bees, and the possible connection to the use of dry lubricants and neonicotinoid insecticides, has been generating a number of responses in the agricultural community. For the past 18 months, media reports have singled out agriculture in general, and seed treatments and the use of insecticides in particular, as a possible cause […] Read more
Pearce: Lots to talk about but little activity in Ont. fields
The first meeting of the season for Ontario’s certified crop advisers and provincial ministry personnel north of London yielded some interesting observations for mid-April — but it’s obvious growers won’t be in the field for at least a couple of weeks. The notion that this spring’s weather has been a stark contrast to 2012 has […] Read more
Pearce: Seed rivals agree to cross-license corn trait tech
Two old adversaries last Thursday signed on the line for a cross-licensing agreement to pave the way for development of so-called “next-generation” advanced weed and insect control technologies for corn. Dow AgroSciences and Monsanto have reached an agreement enabling Monsanto to license Dow AgroSciences’s new Enlist weed control system for use in field corn. The […] Read more
Pearce: Round table yields positive recommendations on soil health
As farmers’ attentions turn to the prospect of spring planting, a report released in late March has a long-term perspective on something near and dear to every farmer in Ontario, if not the world: the soil. The report, “Investing in soils for a sustainable future,” released by Ontario’s environmental commissioner, Gord Miller, is an attempt […] Read more
Pearce: Soybean, wheat markets shifting to South America
“There’s no cure for high prices like high prices.” That’s a frequent observation provided by Cal Whewell, a risk management consultant with FC Stone in Perrysburg, Ohio, and he made it several times during a recent presentation to the Grain Farmers of Ontario. Whewell was one of the keynote speakers here during the organization’s recent […] Read more
Pearce: Level of on-farm investment favours large Canadian farms
The large keep getting larger, and they keep investing more, as well. That’s the one-sentence summary from a new study from the Ivey School of Business Agri-food Innovation Centre. The study, Investment and Growth on Canadian Farms 2001-2009, has determined that Canadian farms saw total investments increase by more than $3 billion during the height […] Read more
Pearce: New dynamic forming in global corn production
Every year for at least the past decade, Cal Whewell has provided his unique insights into the grain markets at the Grain Farmers of Ontario annual meeting. It’s unique because Whewell offers both U.S. and world perspectives on the commodity markets. And despite the occasional homespun quip that draws a laugh or two, it’s a […] Read more
Pearce: New autonomous tractor designs turn heads
More equipment manufacturers are introducing their latest offerings to the autonomous tractor system that Deere introduced (in Canada) in 2011, with Kinze and the Spirit the latest to join the trend. Specifically, Kinze Manufacturing introduced its new system in an experimental exhibition at its headquarters in Iowa, in 2011 while the makers of the Spirit […] Read more
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