Mid- to late-fall on the farm is often fraught with too many jobs, but taking time to assess winter wheat stands can augment the bottom line by diagnosing issues that may have occurred at planting. According to Joanna Follings, cereals specialist with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, anyone can learn to […] Read more
Take time to assess winter wheat stands
Scouting can indicate how the crop is progressing and management steps going forward
Finding the ‘Big V’ in grain storage
Deriving greater ‘value’ is a ‘victory’
When it comes to storing grain after harvest, some farmers find greater value in on-farm storage as opposed to trucking to a local elevator. Chad Hachborn operates a commercial elevator system on his family’s farm near New Hamburg. He and his wife, Tracy, crop roughly 350 acres and run Stoneybrook Elevators, which handles about 1.5 […] Read more
Syngenta highlights company direction at Arva station tour
It was the first such gathering in several years near London
Growers, retailers and crop advisors turned up for Syngenta Canada’s NK Showcase on Aug. 24 despite clouds and light drizzle north of London. A series of “education stations” offered insight into the company’s commitment to seed technology through investments in innovation and performance. Research and development was a key term during the day, with Dan […] Read more
Corn remains agriculture’s chief currency
Corn Guide: Despite lower acreage compared to other countries, corn in Canada is on the rise
Some news reports suggest soybeans are overtaking corn acres in Ontario or across the country, but corn is still king in row crop production. Its acreage may fluctuate but the potential to expand corn’s reach and usage, and the amount of money invested in research and development, are driving optimism in the market. Why it […] Read more
Old pest for corn growers returns with new threat
Corn Guide: ECB is showing resistance to Bt hybrids, but not in Ontario yet
Bt corn hybrids have been the story of success in transgenic innovation, a gold standard of biotech pest management, first with European corn borer (ECB) and then corn rootworm (CRW). Now comes a case from Truro, N.S., where a resistant corn borer population confirmed in 2018 also appears resistant to another protein. Why it matters: […] Read more
A better system resides with residue
Corn Guide: Lucknow-area brothers like what they see and get from biostrip till
Seven years ago, Lawrence Hogan and Steve Howard decided to change their tillage management. They had worked for decades with a variety of tillage systems, from ridge to minimum, strip till to no till, and then decided to replace the tillage implement with plants. In 2015, they tried no-tilling corn into a mix of summer-planted, […] Read more
Nematode survey a valued benchmark opportunity
Project will target more than soybean cyst nematode
The word nematode is often linked to soybean cyst nematode (SCN), and with good reason. In North America, SCN accounts for annual losses of more than $1 billion and up to $50 million in Ontario. A survey of field and horticultural crops across the province seeks to update provincial nematode distribution maps and establish baseline […] Read more
Learning to read and react to biostrip till
Growers who use it do their best to make it work, especially for corn
Nick Stokman and Ian McDonald have more than 80 years of combined experience in farming, research and extension. Yet they’re relative newcomers to the practice of biostrip tilling, a means of replacing tillage implements with plants. It’s a complex regimen requiring constant adjustments and monitoring, but it definitely has its benefits, mostly when corn is […] Read more
Managing mycotoxins reduces livestock risk
Dairy cattle usually are affected by multiple mycotoxins when levels reach a damaging threshold in feed
Mycotoxins create havoc on livestock farms, and the concern mostly comes from Gibberella ear rot in corn and corresponding levels of deoxynivalenol (DON). However, there’s a whole realm of mycotoxins out there in crops that can affect livestock. In dairy cows, too much mycotoxin exposure means serious impacts on feeding and gestation. In poultry and […] Read more
New seed treatment a boost for cereals
Product designed to enhance phosphorus solubility and improve early vigour
Glacier FarmMedia – Boosting nitrogen usage, with the benefit of reducing nitrogen-based fertilizer applications, has been a feature of several products in the past five years. Lalrise Start SC liquid inoculant aims to improve another key nutrient. The seed treatment designed to enhance phosphorus solubility has received full commercial registration and will be available in […] Read more
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