Ontario Minister of Agriculture Lisa Thompson presenting the 2023 Excellence in Research and Innovation award to Dave Smardon, CEO of Bioenterprise Canada at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair last November.

Canadian agtech commercialization organization wins award

Bioenterprise Canada honoured for helping agriculture businesses bring their innovations to market

The work of a national agtech commercialization organization has been recognized with an award from the government of Ontario. Bioenterprise Canada was named one of the winners of an Excellence in Research and Innovation award at the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA)’s 2023 Excellence in Agriculture Awards late last fall. Why […] Read more


University of Guelph associate professor John Lauzon says understanding the means by which nutrients get to the soil root zone “is going to have a big impact in terms of how we manage specific nutrients to optimize the uptake, and in some ways, minimize loss as well.”

Taking a soil deep dive

Soil interactions affect much of plant health so a remedial course can help

Understanding the relationship between nutrient uptake, plant availability and the impacts on yield are a constant research project and growers are in the best position to benefit. John Lauzon provided his insights on the subject during January’s Southwest Agricultural Conference at University of Guelph’s Ridgetown Campus.In his session, Level 2 Nutrient Interactions, he discussed nutrient […] Read more

Research from the U.S. theorizes that more of the nitrogen used by a corn plant comes from the soil, not fertilizer.

Nitrogen use in corn re-examined

Research from the U.S. Midwest sparks controversy, but the solution may be easier

When it comes to nitrogen use in corn, it’s always been a question of how much to apply. University of Illinois research on the source of N – how much a corn plant gets from fertilizer and how much from soil –has initiated a considerable amount of debate since the results were released last May. […] Read more


Nitrogen rate decisions improve with local data

Nitrogen rate decisions improve with local data

On-farm trials give valuable and sometimes confusing results for farmer decisions

On-farm trials across the province show just how challenging it is to make decisions on exact nitrogen use in crops, and how local the influencing conditions can be. Several farmers talked about their 2023 trials at the Southwest Ag Conference in early January. In Lambton County, Brad Podolinsky looked at three nitrogen rates in a […] Read more

(Dave Bedard photo)

FCC announces new 4R incentive

The program is open to FCC customers who use AgExpert platform

FCC announced the new Sustainability Incentive Program at the Western Canadian Crop Production Show in Saskatoon. The program is open to FCC customers who put a 4R nutrient management plan in place, record production activities through AgExpert Field, and have their 4R practices verified by a 4R designated agronomist.



Microbes could help reduce the need for chemical fertilizers

Microbes could help reduce the need for chemical fertilizers

Science Notes: Coated bacteria improve germination rate of a variety of seeds

Production of chemical fertilizers accounts for about 1.5 per cent of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. MIT chemists hope to help reduce that carbon footprint by replacing some chemical fertilizer with a more sustainable source — bacteria. Bacteria that can convert nitrogen gas to ammonia could not only provide nutrients that plants need, but also […] Read more