Wade Hainstock, CFCRA president, far left, Crosby Devitt, GFO CEO, Greg Hannam, Woodrill Farms Ltd., Guelph MP Lloyd Longfield, Heather Russell, Atlantic Grains Council executive director and Josh Cowan, CFCRA vice president, far right, announced a federal investment of $5.7 million in soybean, corn and oat research funding at Woodrill Farms Ltd in Guelph, Ont. May 13

Feds invest in research to promote more diverse crop rotations

The federal government is investing $5,733,852 million in funding to advance soybean, corn and oat research and promote diverse crop rotations.  “The investment of $5.7 million will help grain producers in Ontario and across the country keep their businesses strong and competitive,” Guelph MP Lloyd Longfield said at the funding announcement at Woodrill Farms Ltd. […] Read more

Researcher Amélie Gaudin says severe weather conditions becoming more normal and the agriculture sector must adapt to these conditions.

Rotational advantages

More is uncovered about the long-term benefits of crop rotation

It’s one thing to have research projects geared to the long-term effects of crop rotation, but it’s quite another to have research data that stretches across a wide geographic area, allowing for more useful predictions. Amélie Gaudin has been following the results from long-term studies on rotational diversity since earning her PhD from the University […] Read more

A trap showing two Western corn rootworm beetles. If the traps averaged two beetles per day, this meets the threshold for developing Bt resistance if Bt hybrids are in the field.

Corn Rootworm trapping study will encourage crop rotation

Results show corn rootworm pressure highest in counties with corn on corn rotations

Corn fields in two southwest counties and one in the east are at the highest risk in Ontario of hosting Bt-resistant corn rootworm (CRW), according to results from a first-year, grower-led beetle trapping project funded in part by Grain Farmers of Ontario (GFO). Tracey Baute, entomologist for the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural […] Read more

Tillsonburg-area crop farmer Greg Vermeersch stands in a plot of twin-row winter barley following the emergence of relay-cropped soybeans that were planted between the barley in the spring of 2021.

Small grains in the mix can pay dividends

EFAO session explores benefits of having small grains in crop rotation

The benefits of adding small grains to a crop rotation were explored Dec. 1 in the first of a five-part series hosted by the Ontario version of the federally supported Living Labs Project.  The “Innovations in Small Grains” session featured Ontario farmers Greg Vermeersch, Brett Israel and Joe Wecker and was co-hosted by the Ecological […] Read more


There are consistent yield benefits for following crops when wheat is in a rotation.

Finding the tools to build soil

Intensifying wheat production can help make the soil-building crop more profitable

Wheat and cover crops may not be the most profitable of cash cows, but the indirect benefits to grain growers’ bottom lines are significant.  Keeping winter wheat in the rotation, that is, has been shown to consistently boost both corn and soybean yields in Ontario. Those numbers go even higher when red clover is also […] Read more

“Resilience cannot be built overnight. It is important for growers to start building soils now to achieve production potentials in the future.”

Lasting impact: The penalty of poor crop rotations

Long term trials show the soil health degradation of short rotations

This article is the first of a three-part series highlighting lessons learned from two long-term crop rotation experiments at Elora and Ridgetown, Ont. Howard Buffett authored a book a few years back with the title, “40 Chances”. The title came from a shop talk Buffett attended where a speaker remarked that the average farmer only […] Read more

Preliminary data from a new study suggests that different soil health measurements will be required, depending on intrinsic soil qualities and management.

Soil health measurement project seeks standard set of indicators

The North American Project to Evaluate Soil Health Measurements hopes to recommend scientifically sound indicators

Glacier FarmMedia – Soil health measurements can vary widely depending on management practices, show early results from a North American study. Paul Tracy, who manages the non-profit Soil Health Institute’s project to assess 31 indicators of soil health in all three countries, said agricultural and environmental interests are promoting lots of measurement systems and indicators. […] Read more


Wheat has a number of positive effects in a crop rotation.

Study shows added benefits of wheat in rotation

Research shows corn, soy yield increase and N credit after wheat

A long-term study shows diverse crop rotations improve yields. Yet many farmers today grow strictly corn and soybeans, which has caused a decline in crop diversity and that is a major concern for Ontario producers. “It (corn-soybeans) is not really a crop rotation, it’s just an alternating crop sequence,” says Dave Hooker, assistant professor in […] Read more

Sweet corn had a 6.9 per cent yield boost after a diverse cover crop.

The next step for cover crops

Researchers with long-term trials looking at productivity benefits

Long-term cover crop research is moving beyond the basics to more complex interactions between covers and row crops. Projects are now looking at how cover crops affect yield over several years, have an impact on crop quality and the value they could have if farmers get credit for reducing atmospheric carbon. Why it matters: Economically […] Read more