The potential for measuring, modelling and helping improve production is astounding
The design and creation of a new robotic device for phenotyping plants is a double-sided boon to agriculture. On one hand, it is indicative of the enormous potential of the autonomous systems now in development for farm applications. On the other, it’s a huge leap forward for researchers and plant breeders and their ability to […] Read more
Conditions are right for a western bean cutworm year in Ontario corn and it’s time to scout — but likely not yet to spray. Western bean cutworm (WBC) is now the most economically damaging pest in Ontario corn. It feeds on the tassel and ears of corn and doesn’t particularly affect yield, but the feeding […] Read more
Quebec researcher says that since dairy farmers are paid based on components, forage-fed cattle can outperform those fed on corn silage
Corn silage use is trending on Quebec’s large dairy farms, but Valacta’s Robert Berthiaume argues farmers who run against the herd can bulk up their bottom line with perennial forages. “If you make the best use you can of perennial forages, you can make a lot of money, at least as much or more than […] Read more
Farmers need to invest now if the new corn-stalk project is to go ahead
Farmers aren’t negative or pessimistic by nature, but they are realists. When it comes to business proposals, they’ve heard terms such as “sure-fire” and “can’t-miss” before, not always with good cause. So, do those terms work for the proposed corn biomass co-op? You decide, but it appears there may be a good case for the […] Read more
Corn and the environment can work hand-in-hand, and thanks to our farmers, in many cases, they already do
Every harvest season, word spreads quickly about yield. And happily, that trend line is up, with growers taking off phenomenal yields whenever the weather is halfway co-operative. But can today’s yields co-exist with a healthy environment? It’s a question that is getting asked more and more. And for the most part, it seems, the answer […] Read more
The prospect of more tons per acre and fewer worries about harvest weather is prompting some cattle producers to park the baler
High land prices and persistent problems with haying weather in Western Canada are prompting more cattle producers to consider corn silage. Acreage has increased steadily in for the past five years, especially in Alberta where producers seeded 110,000 acres of silage corn in 2016, up from 70,000 acres in 2012. “New genetics have made corn […] Read more
New monitors and individual-unit controls give growers a better shot at top yields
It was in March 2012 that Dr. Fred Below of the University of Illinois first published his list of the seven wonders of high-yield corn production, revolutionizing how North America’s farmers and agronomists think about corn management. Is it time to shake up that list? Even keeping in mind the differences between growing conditions south […] Read more
Check out the numbers when you use interpolated data to even out our year-by-year weather swings
What if we could peer into the future and catch a glimpse of where our agriculture is heading? How would such a view shape the development of plant breeding and advances in technology, and maybe even the impact on farmers? A University of Guelph PhD student is working to develop a new yield model, first […] Read more
It’s easy to be pessimistic due to global corn stocks, but demand is setting new records too. So consider posting some standing market orders, and watch prices daily
Every year farmers go to the field hoping for something better than last year, and even though now is the dead of winter, plans are being made to raise a successful corn crop in 2017. For eastern Canadian farmers, corn has earned its status as the “go-to” crop for the region. A few years ago, […] Read more
Consumer demand is having a larger impact on what and how farmers may grow
In times with volatile commodity prices, farmers are apt to put more effort into researching opportunities such as identity-preserved markets, particularly for soybeans. After all, as we often hear, a $1 premium looks better if soybeans drop towards $10 per bushel than when they’re above $13. But what if there could be IP premiums for […] Read more
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