Dutch potato farmer Gert-Jan van Dongen may not own the land he farms on but that isn’t stopping him from being concerned about its future. Van Dongen runs a potato […] Read more
Tag Archives Agronomy
Protecting the health of the soil resource
Dutch farmers receive outside assistance to maintain a sustainable crop rotation on a small land base
Glyphosate drives long-term herbicide changes
Ontario keeps track of detailed herbicide use every five years, which shows how the use of active ingredient has declined
A study of glyphosate use in Ontario shows the herbicide has created significant change in crop management. It shows that while corn and soybean acreage and yield have increased in […] Read more
OMAFRA crop report: hail-damaged corn, later cover crops and winter canola
The opportunity to get some cover crops planted is coming to an end soon
Thunderstorms brought some localized hail events through parts of southwestern Ontario, particularly during the last week of July. Like most plant stresses, yield loss from defoliation increases through vegetative stages, […] Read more
Cover crops help reverse soil organic matter loss
The benefits may not show up immediately so farmers need to be patient
In Ontario, where the loss of soil organic matter is a long-standing problem, cover crops and other cultivation strategies designed to improve soil structure are playing an increasingly important role […] Read more
OMAFRA strip till demo to highlight working units
The live demonstration gives farmers a chance to see strip till machines in the field
OMAFRA is taking soil health action to the field this year at Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show (COFS). The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs is hosting a live […] Read more
Waterjet use on planters eliminates coulter-soil contact
Aquatill concept remains in testing phase, but may offer options for no-till farmers
The use of pressurized water as a cutting tool has come full circle. It was used extensively to power away earth during the 1850s California Gold Rush. Now, after being […] Read more
Crop Rotation Options: Winter canola 101
There are good profitability, rotation and weed management reasons to grow winter canola
Winter canola has never particularly caught on in southwestern Ontario. But now researchers at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Research and Development Centre in Harrow are giving farmers the knowledge and […] Read more
Lessons from farm data innovators
Where do you start with data management on crop farms? Three farmers who use data extensively say to start with what you can manage and make sure that the system […] Read more
Mapping profit can drive precision-farming decisions
Precision farming can find the high yield and low yield, high fertility and low fertility areas of a farm, but the missing link has been how that ties to profitability. […] Read more