Southwest Agricultural Conference Archives

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

By Ralph Pearce January 17, 2024

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, […] Read more

Corn is 30 to 40 per cent of most farmers’ acreage and achieving consistent, profitable yield is important to farm financial health.

Crops, Machinery

Planter impact can be huge on corn yields

There are numerous ways that planters can have an effect on even corn emergence

By John Greig February 13, 2020

Getting high corn yield isn’t that much of a mystery: get simultaneous emergence, spray and fertilize in a timely fashion and with enough co-operation from Mother Nature you can get […] Read more

Lake Erie, the shallowest of the Great Lakes, is most at risk from phosphorus loading.

Crops

The importance of voluntary 4R nutrient management

Agriculture has a chance to manage phosphorus load in waterways, before regulations arrive

By Matt McIntosh February 4, 2019

As nutrient runoff into Lake Erie and other waterways continues to be a major public environmental issue, veteran agronomists say voluntarily adopting 4R Nutrient Stewardship is more important than ever. […] Read more

News

SWAC 2019 conference: The Road Ahead

What to see and look for at the 2019 Southwest Agricultural Conference

By Matt McIntosh December 17, 2018

Producers attending the 2019 Southwest Agricultural Conference will have their agronomic and farm business mind stimulated. The conference, with the theme: The Road Ahead is coming to the University of […] Read more

Ron MacDonald is a long-time Ontario farm energy consultant. Photo: John Greig

Machinery

Start with easy steps to control electricity costs on farms

By John Greig February 9, 2018

Farmers looking to take control of their energy costs have to start with knowing what electricity or gas they use and where. The answer may surprise them. Why it matters: Electricity […] Read more

Mike Wilson is working on profitability mapping solutions for farmers with Veritas. (John Greig photo)

Crops, Machinery

Mapping profit can drive precision farming decisions

By John Greig January 16, 2018

Precision farming can find the high-yield, low-yield, high-fertility and low-fertility areas of a farm, but the missing link has been how that ties to profitability. Why does it matter? The […] Read more

Stripe rust overwintered further north than usual going into the 2016 growing season, Cargill’s Linda Freitag said at SWAC. (OMAFRA photo)

Crops

Greig: Lessons learned from Ontario crops’ pest pressures

By John Greig January 9, 2017

The warmer winter and subsequent drought defined the 2016 cropping season in Ontario, resulting in more disease and insect pressures and then challenges managing them. Three agronomists gave an overview […] Read more